Power Rangers Samurai Strike
by Crazm Andorand
Summary: Lord Doukoku has returned after 3000 years of being sealed away, and he's after revenge!  A new group of Power Rangers rises to the challenge! Can they claimed victory? Find out!  Shinkenger/Samurai AU.  Based on Shinkenger, started before Samurai was released.
1. Chapter 1: Blades Unite Part I

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai or anything. Kinda obvious, but it's usually a good idea to mention that for copyright reasons.

This is my first attempt at fan-fiction, so go easy on me.

When Power Rangers finally ended with RPM, I was a little disappointed as I had followed the series since I was young. However, the Super Sentai continued, the next season being Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. I watched the first couple of episodes, and started coming up with ideas of how it could work as a PR series. So here goes my attempt at a series! I give you...

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 1: Blades Unite Part 1_

3000 years ago, in the ancient lands of Japan, an army of malevolent spirits called the Gedoushu led by the demon lord Doukoku threatened to overtake and destroy the world. Millions of humans were slaughtered and defeat seemed inevitable. Until one day, five mighty samurai clans united to stop the demons once and for all.

First was the red Fire clan, brave and proud. Their totem was the Lion.

Second was the blue Water clan, cunning and wise. Their totem was the Dragon.

Third was the green Wood clan, strong and loyal. Their totem was the Bear.

Fourth was the yellow Earth clan, clever and agile. Their totem was the Monkey.

And fifth was the pink Wind clan, kind and protective. Their totem was the Turtle.

These five clans combined their elemental powers, and together they destroyed the armies of the Gedoushu. Unable to defeat Lord Doukoku and his more powerful minions, however, they sealed them away in another dimension, and forced Doukoku into a long sleep.

The people of the world rejoiced, thinking the terror to be over forever, but the five samurai clans knew better. The sleep and the sealing would not be permanent against Doukoku's power, so they quietly began to prepare for the day of his return. The Fire Clan would continue to train in secret, while the other clans would disappear from view, integrating themselves into the common populace, where they would remain undetected until the time can for them to fight once more.

And that day has arrived...

**Tovern City, Present Day**

It was just another average day around noon, people walking back and forth, stopping to talk occasionally, sitting at tables in cafes and restaurants. All in all, nothing out of place.

In a less crowded, out-of-the-way area, a boy was bouncing a baseball off a wall against which several vending machines stood. One throw went wide, and the ball rolled behind the machines.

"Aw, man," the kid said, kneeling down next to machine, trying to reach the ball, but it was just to far away.

Then suddenly, _something _reached out from behind the machines and grabbed the ball. The arm was black, and covered in spikes, and was definitely not friendly.

The boy screamed, and backed away, as hideous creatures began to pour out from the gap behind the machines. They were humanoid in shape, but wore yellow robes covered by black, scaly armour, and their heads were shiny and red, with spines and huge mouths full of sharp teeth. They carried spiky curved swords, and the creatures were moving in a way that looked like they were willing to use those blades on anything that moved.

The horrible creatures advanced towards the boy who was frozen in fear, but then suddenly a small red object flew in out of nowhere and slammed into the creatures, causing sparks and knocking them down. As it flew away, the boy caught a better look at the thing. It looked mechanical, and was shaped like... a lion?

The lion flew into the hand of a boy who looked to be in his late teens, and who was wearing a red hoodie jacket. The lion shook itself and roared, and then folded itself into a red pentagon, with the kanji symbol for "fire" on the front.

An middle-aged man in a golden robe ran towards the boy, helping him up and dragging him away. "Run away! Quickly, go!" he yelled. The boy needed no further encouragement, and legged it out of there as fast as he could.

The teen turned to face the creatures, a frown on his face. "Picking on kids now, are we, Nanashi?" he muttered. "You'll pay for that!" He pulled out an object that looked like a flip-open cellphone, which he then flipped and folded into a calligraphy brush shape. There was a bright red flash, and a lot of smoke billowed forth. When it cleared, the teen had transformed.

He now wore a skin-tight suit, with a red top with black lines to look like a martial art uniform, black legs, white gloves, red boots and a golden belt with a rather large buckle. His head was concealed by a red helmet, with a black visor shaped like the kanji symbol for "fire". He wielded a large katana, with the crosspiece of the hilt looking like something attached onto it.

The man in the golden robe stepped forward. "Listen well, Nanashi!" he called to the creatures. "Standing before you is the descendant of the Fire Samurai Clan, one of the five who sealed your masters a way 3000 years ago! The current head of the Fire Clan, Strike Ranger Red! Lord Tyson Shiba!"

The Nanashi clamoured about, clearly recognising the names. "Fire Clan, Strike Ranger Red!" they growled.

"Now," the man continued, "will you flee back through the crevice in terror? Or would you prefer to be the rust on my lord's sword?"

Tyson turn to the man. "Old man, you made my intro too long again."

The man looked offended "But my lord, a person of your high ranking deserves to be recognised and introduced to his opponent. Also," he continued in a huffy voice, "I request that you stop calling me 'old man'. I'm not _that _old, and I do have a name, you know."

"Fine, whatever, Hikoma," Tyson said, pulling an ornate black disk from his belt buckle, slipping his sword hilt through the hole in the middle, and clipping it onto the crosspiece. "Now stand back, this fight's about to get started." He then strode towards the Nanashi, while Hikoma quickly withdrew to the side.

The Nanashi roared and charged forward, swinging their swords at Tyson, who quickly deflected their attacks and started slicing away at then. The Nanashi may have had numbers on their side, but Tyson was far more skilled, trained to fight against many attackers at once. One by one, the Nanashi fell as Tyson swiped away.

The fight moved into a nearby alleyway, where fighting large numbers of enemies was a lot harder due to the confined space. _This could be a problem, _Tyson thought. _I better get out of this alley as soon as possible._ He began to run along the alley, forcing the Nanashi to follow. The alley opened out onto the docks on the river that went through Tovern City... and where another dozen or so Nanashi were waiting for him.

_More? _Tyson thought franticly. _Okay, time to pull out the big guns!_ He withdrew another disk from his belt, this one red, and clipped it to his sword as well. He then span the disk, and called out "**Elemental Katana Mode!**" The sword glowed, and then flames spiralled around the blade. He then began making massive sweeps with his sword, the fiery blade now doing far more damage to the Nanashi. With one final swing of the sword, the flames blasted forth, slashing into the rest of the Nanashi and destroying them in a spectacular explosion.

"Red Strike Ranger, mission complete," Tyson said to himself.

"My lord, that was splendid, absolutely splendid!" Hikoma said as Tyson returned to where he had left him, de-morphing as he approached. "I believe this must be the result of my devotion in raising you." He then laughed, but stopped as a boy about Tyson's age carrying a laptop computer rounded the corner, gasping for breath.

"Sorry I'm late," the boy said, leaning against the wall. "I had to pick up my laptop, and then I got lost."

"You're a real pain sometimes, you know that Graydon?" Tyson said calmly. Graydon was Tyson's close friend; they had been raised together by Hikoma after Tyson's father had been killed in a fire.

Graydon grinned at him while regaining his breath. "And yet you still put up with me, when you could get rid of me at any time?"

Tyson smiled. "I only keep you around because you're useful," he replied. "Now, what new information have you got?"

Graydon sat on the ground, flipped open the black-coloured laptop and started typing. "How many Nanashi got through the crevice this time?" he asked, now deadly serious.

"Thirty-three," Tyson answered. Graydon typed in this new information, then frowned at the screen.

"What's the problem?" Hikoma asked, worried by Graydon's seriousness.

"The rate at which the Nanashi are coming through is increasing faster than I expected," Graydon said, typing away. "The incident three days ago contained only twenty-five Nanashi. A week before that it was only eighteen. If this keep up, in two months, we could have hundreds of those things pouring out of each crevice daily!"

Hikoma looked at Tyson fearfully. "Not even you could handle hundreds of Nanashi every day!"

"It gets worse," Graydon continued, using a camera hooked to the laptop to scan the gap behind vending machine. "The crevices are stabilising. At the moment, only Nanashi can get through, but soon, the crevices will be stable enough for a Ayakashi spirit to cross, and they're _far _worse than even an _army_ of Nanashi."

Hikoma frowned, thinking hard, the he seemed to come to a conclusion. "We have no choice," he said resolutely. "We shall have to gather the other Strike Rangers. It's the only way we can continue to fight."

Tyson was furious at this. "No, we can't get them involved!" he shouted at Hikoma. "The other Rangers are just civilians who haven't received any training. They don't even know that they're descended from the ancient clans! They'll be a liability in battle, not a advantage!"

"Calm yourself, my lord," Hikoma said patiently. "According to Graydon, we have two months before you will not be able to succeed alone. So we bring in the other Rangers, train them as much as we can, and their samurai blood and Elemental Talismans will do the rest."

Tyson pulled out his own talisman, the red fire pentagon, looked at it and sighed. "Alright, we do it your way," he said. "But I won't have enough time between battles with new Nanashi and my own training to train them myself. You and Graydon will have to do it."

"No problem!" Graydon said, flashing him a thumbs-up. "Everyone knows I'm second only to you when it comes to the samurai arts."

"I shall do as you request, my lord," Hikoma bowed respectfully.

"Good," Tyson nodded. "Now, if we're going to have to track the other Rangers down, we'd best get started."

Graydon stood up, still typing away. "I've got a few leads, so I'll get started right away."

Unbeknownst to them, an evil red lizard-like eye watched them leave from behind the machine. The eye belong to one of the Gedoushu, a short, robed humanoid with a staff and what appeared to be a squid for a head the tentacles forming his beard. Shitari, for this was his name, was using his staff to spy through the crevice, and he had heard everything that they had said.

"Intriguing," Shitari muttered to himself. "I'm sure Lord Doukoku would be _very _interested to know about the Power Rangers plans..."

END CHAPTER ONE

Please review, I'd love some feed back on what people think!

More chapters to come soon, hopefully!

A/N: Those of you who have watched Shinkenger may have noticed that I have changed the Pink Ranger's element from Heaven to Wind. Personally, I think it fits better, with both the other Rangers' elements and her weapon that she receives later.


	2. Chapter 2: Blades Unite Part II

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai.

Thanks everyone for your great reviews of Chapter One! Hopefully you should like this chapter just as much!

Also, thanks to those who told me about Saban's plans for Season 18. I wasn't aware that they were doing another season based on Shinkenger, as the last I heard, no-one was showing any interest in continuingthe franchise, but it's great they are, and I'm looking forward to it!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 2: Blades Unite Part 2_

Shitari strode along the banks of the great Sanzu River. The dimension he and the other Gedoushu had been send to along with Lord Doukoku was a grim place. Nothing but red rocks as far as the eye could see. Only the river broke the monotony.

The Gedoushu were extremely lucky when it came to the Sanzu River. It seemed to be connected in some way to the River Styx, the river that flows through the underworld. The suffering of the humans in the underworld, transferred there by the river, re-energised Lord Doukoku and helped break his slumber. It also supplied him with a great number of souls which he could use to turn into Ayakashi, fearsome monsters with far more destructive power then the Nanashi.

As Shitari approached the shore, the river began to bubble, and a sinister-looking red and black Japanese junk rose to the surface nearby. This ship was known as the Rokumon, and it was from there that Doukoku commanded his army. The eerie tune of a shamisen emanated from the ship, as Shitari climbed aboard.

He entered the cabin of the ship, and the player of the shamisen was revealed to be a Gedoushu that was vaguely distinguishable as female. She wore intricately designed clothes, and upon her head, pulled down over her eyes, sat what looked like an old samurai helm, with two great yellow globes on the front, almost like eyes. She ignored Shitari as he walked towards her.

"It's good to see you again, Tayu," he said to her. "It's been a while."

Tayu continued to ignore him and played on. Shitari, not one to give up, looked around the room.

"But where is Lord Doukoku?" he asked. "The ship only surfaces when he is awake, and I do not see him."

"Who knows?" Tayu finally spoke in a bitter voice. "How should I know, I'm not Doukoku's minder."

"I didn't mean it like that," Shitari replied consolingly. "I know your music is the only thing that can calm him when he's in a rage."

"You're too noisy, you fool Shitari," a deep voice growled from the shadows, as Lord Doukoku slowly emerged. He was not a pretty sight to behold. His skin was dark red, and was covered by scaly black samurai armour. His clawed feet clacked on the floor as he walked, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. His eyes glowed yellow and were segmented, almost like an insect. He had long pointed insect antennae for ears, and great black leathery wings extended from his back.

Doukoku glared at Shitari. "Maybe I should start my morning by splitting open that ridiculously large head of yours?" he threatened. "I could maybe make a bowl out of it."

Shitari cowered, backing away. "It seems you're in a bad mood, I deeply apologise, Lord Doukoku!" he said hurriedly. "Please, sit down and let Tayu's music calm you."

Doukoku sat on a large chair, leant back and relaxed. Shitari tentatively approached him.

"It seems the damage your received from your battle with the samurai clans and your forced slumber have almost healed," he said anxiously.

"It was no easy job, even with all the power from the humans suffering I have received from the river," Doukoku rumbled angrily. "It's all those damn samurai clans' faults!" he burst out suddenly. Then he smiled evilly. "At least the forced sealing killed most of them. I doubt the rest would have survived too long..."

"Uh, my lord...?" Shitari interupted, now genuinely afraid for his life. "I'm sorry to say that you might be wrong there..."

Doukoku whipped his head around to look at him. Even Tayu stopped playing to listen. "What do you mean?" Doukoku hissed menacingly.

"Well... you see..." Shitari reluctantly replied. "It seems that the descendants of the clans have survived. Many of our Nanashi squads that we have been sending out have been disappearing lately, and today I managed to see who was doing it. A young man claiming to be the descendant of the Fire Clan appeared, transformed into a might warrior, and took out two entire squads single-handedly!"

"He transformed?" Doukoku asked. "The heads of each of the clans could transform as you say, into mighty Samurai Kings, as they called them."

"I believe that they are called Power Rangers now, my lord," Shitari said quickly.

Doukoku fumed. "And two entire squads were taken out by just one of the 'Rangers'?" he raged. "How dare he try to pit his power against mine! Well, one Ranger along can't do much."

"The others will soon join him, my lord," Shitari mentioned. "I overheard them planning to bring in the rest of the Rangers."

"Then we must take them out before they are fully organised!" Doukoku roared. He went out onto the deck of the ship, and looked out to the river. "Kagekamuro! I call on you!"

The water bubbled, and a Ayakashi surfaced and climbed on board. His entire body was covered in spiny crab-like armour, and his armed ended in clawed fins. He wore a large, horned helmet, and his legs were covered by a long robe on which sat a second hideous face. "You called me, my master?" he hissed in a sinister voice.

"I want you to go through the crevices into the human world," Doukoku ordered him. "Go out and defeat these so called Power Rangers and collect the suffering of humans so that I may accelerate my return!"

"My lord, I'm afraid that's not at the moment possible..." Shitari interupted. "As they are now, the crevices are not stable enough to send an Ayakashi through, and won't be for several months."

Doukoku thought this over. "Then I shall divert as much of the power I am using to heal me as I can to vastly increase the speed of stabilisation," he decided. "That'll catch those Rangers off-guard!" He then laugh manically, long and loud.

**Meanwhile, in the human world...**

"Have you made any progress in tracking down the other Rangers, Graydon?" Tyson asked, as they relaxed in the main room at Tyson's family manor. It was done in Japanese style, with sliding partitions for doors and bare wooden floors. When the other Rangers arrived, this would become their main base.

"Yep, I've found all of them, and it only took me two days!" Graydon replied, pulling out his laptop and bringing up a document with the Rangers' information.

"Thank god you're a technological whiz," Tyson remarked, acknowledging that Graydon was useful sometimes. "It would have taken me a lot longer. So where are they?"

"All their families have fortunately moved to America like yours did, so it won't be too hard to find them," Graydon said, typing away. "Whilst yours moved as America had the largest concentration of crevices, the others must have just been instinctively drawn here."

"Good, that'll makes things easier," Tyson replied. "Even though I don't really want to get them involved, the sooner that they get here , the sooner we can begin training. So, who's the closest?"

"I believe that would be the Blue Ranger, Ryan Ikenami," Graydon said, scanning the list.

"Excellent, We'll send word to him immediately," Tyson said, getting up and quickly leaving the room, Graydon following him.

**Later, at an archery range somewhere...**

Ryan shot the last of his arrows at the target, each landing dead centre on the bullseye. He was the best person around at archery, as he had done it since he was a little kid. He wasn't sure why he was driven to learn to use a bow and perfect his skills; it just seemed to be some kind of instinct, he always felt at home on an archery range.

Ryan collected his arrows from the target and then returned to the firing line to shoot again. But when he went to put his arrows in their holding tube, something blocked them from going in.

"What the heck?" Ryan muttered, tipping the tube upside-down, causing a tightly-rolled scroll to slide out. The scroll looked like it was made from parchment, and it was sealed with a blue hexagon with a symbol on it that he recognised – thanks to his Japanese lessons – as the kanji for water. _Strange_, _that looks like that family heirloom that my father gave me, _he thought, glancing at said heirloom in his archery bag.

Ryan carefully broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. Words were written on it in elegant, flowing letters:

_To Ryan Ikenami, Warrior of Water,_

_Your skills as a warrior are required in a matter of greatest urgency. The world is in danger, and you, along with others, are the only chance we have to stop global destruction._

_On this scroll you will find a map, as well as directions to lead you to the Shiba manor at Tovern City. Do not delay, we are counting on you, and we shall explain further when you arrive._

_Awaiting your speedy arrival,_

_Graydon Umemori_

_PS: NO, THIS IS NOT A PRANK! Seriously, don't you trust me? Just get here soon, okay?_

Ryan blinked, staring at the post-script on the scroll. He could have sworn it hadn't been there when he had started reading it; it seemed to have just appeared as he had started to wonder if this was indeed a prank. He decided to humour this mysterious Graydon, as Tovern City was only a few hours away by car.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning, then," he said, packing away his things.

**Slightly later, at a video game arcade...**

"Yes, fear the Game Guru!" Chad Tani cried, his opponent KO'ed by a massive attack dealt by his sword fighter. _Samurai Slasher III _was easily Chad's favourite game, and no-one had ever come close to beating his at it, or at any other game for that matter. Chad was unstoppable when it came to video games, earning him the title Game Guru.

Chad looked around, seeing if there was a game in the arcade that he hadn't beaten yet. As searched, a flash of light caught his eye. Looking for the source, he spotted a claw crane game he hadn't seen before.

"Cool, I own at these!" he said, putting in a coin and grabbing the control stick. The toys inside were pretty crappy, but he couldn't stand the idea of a game that he hadn't beaten. The claw grabbed some fuzzy green bear thing – green being Chad's favourite colour – picked it up and dropped it in the prize chute.

"Awesome! You got owned, crane game!" Chad said to no-one in particular, as he reached inside the chute. But what he pulled out wasn't a fuzzy green bear thing, it was a scroll, sealed with a green square with a symbol that Chad didn't recognise, but it looked familiar from somewhere.

"What the...?" he said, bewildered. "This isn't what I won!"

**Slightly later again, at a daycare centre...**

"Hey you two, stop fighting!" May Shiraishi chided as two of the children wrestled with each other. She sighed as she broke them up. Working at a daycare centre was hard enough, but today the children seemed particularity boisterous.

Some of the children played in the sandbox. One of them was digging when she uncovered something in the sand. She dug it out, looked at it, then climbed out of the sandbox.

"Look, Miss Shiraishi!" she yelled, running towards May. "Look what I found!"

"Oh? What did you..." May said, then stopped. The child held in her hand a scroll sealed with a pink circle, with a strange symbol on it. May stared; she recognised that symbol...

**Slightly later _still_, in an antique store...**

"Welcome home, Karen!" Mrs Hanaori, Karen's mother greeted, as her daughter came in through the door of the shop. "How was your kendo class?"

"It was a lot of fun, thanks," Karen replied, hugging her mother. "How's Beth doing?"

"She's still not well, I'm afraid," Mrs Hanaori said, her face falling. "The doctors say that she's still not strong enough to leave the hospital, and they're still not sure if the fever will recede any time soon."

Karen nodded sadly, then smiled. "I'll go visit her now," she said, "I'll just put my kendo gear away first." She climbed up the stairs behind the counter to her room.

Later, at the hospital, Karen sat next to her sister's bed. "I'm sure you'll be better soon, Beth," she said, holding her hand.

Beth smiled weakly. "I doubt that," she said hoarsely. "The doctors won't tell me anything, but I can tell I'm going to be here for quite a while."

As Karen opened her mouth to argue, one of the doctors came in. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but a young man left this at reception for you, Beth. He wouldn't give his name, but he said he was a friend."

Karen stared at the object in the doctors hand, a scroll that seemed to be sealed by a yellow triangle. The triangle looked familiar; she thought for a moment, then looked at the lucky charm their mother had left for Beth. They looked very similar indeed...

**That night, at the Shiba manor**

"Success!" Graydon cheered, entering the main room. "All the scrolls were received by their Rangers. Hopefully it shouldn't be too long now before they all get here."

"Excellent work, Graydon," Hikoma said happily, Tyson merely nodding grimly. "I knew we could count on you!"

"Thanks," Graydon replied, now looking quite tired. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some sleep, I've been running all over the country today!"

END CHAPTER TWO

More to come soon!

Sorry about no action this chapter, I wanted to get all the character intros out of the way as soon as I could. Don't worry, they'll be plenty next chapter! See you then!


	3. Chapter 3: Blades Unite Part III

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai.

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 3: Blades Unite Part 3_

**Shiba Manor, the next day...**

"Whoa, this place is _huge!" _Ryan said to himself, staring at the manor. It looked a bit like one of those Japanese temples he had seen in photos, but he had never expected to see one in America, even in the middle of a forest outside Tovern City.

Ryan stood in front of the massive doors, adjusting the backpack he wore over his blue jacket, unsure whether or not he should knock. While he thought, he glanced at the blue water hexagon that his father had given to him. As far as he knew, it was just a family heirloom, but the scroll had given him explicit instructions to bring it along. Why it was so important, he had no idea.

A noise behind him startled him. Ryan looked around to see a boy around his age wearing a long green coat reaching the top of the long flight of stairs leading to the manor. He seemed exhausted, and was dragging a suitcase behind him.

"Man... those... steps... are... long!" he panted, lying on the ground. "Next time... I shouldn't... try to... run the... whole way!"

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked the teen. He looked around, saw Ryan, then quickly leapt to his feet, dusting himself off.

"Of course, I'm perfectly fine!" he answered with sudden energy. "Those stairs were no match for me!" He turned back to the stairs. "You hear that, stairs? You have been owned! You were no match for the Game Guru!" He then crossed his arms and laughed victoriously.

"Uhhh..." Ryan said hesitantly, unsure what to say to this potentially crazy person.

The boy turned back to him "Hey, are you Graydon?" he demanded, pointing at Ryan. "I came just like you asked!"

Ryan was surprised. "No I'm not, but... were you called here by this Graydon guy too?"

"Sure was! Chad Tani, reporting for duty!" the boy replied, saluting. "So, Graydon called you here as well, huh? What's your name?"

"Ryan Ikenami," Ryan said, holding out his hand for Chad to shake, which he did quite vigorously.

"So I guess we'll be working together then, to 'save the world' or whatever, huh?" Chad said happily. "Sounds like a video game or a kiddie TV show to me."

"Oh God, does that mean _I'll_ have to be working with you as well?" a voice said irritably. Ryan and Chad turned towards the stairs to see a young woman also around their age walking towards them, wearing a furry pink jacket and carrying a bag over her shoulder.

"Whoa, a hot chick team-mate, too?" Chad said, ogling the woman. "Best... job... ever!"

The woman glared at him, then slapped him across the face. "Cool off, freak," she said, walking on. "I'm only here because I was called on."

"You too, huh?" Ryan said, then smiled at her. "Sorry about him. I'm Ryan."

"May Shiraishi, pleased to meet you," the woman replied politely, her personality very different from a few seconds ago.

"And I'm Chad," Chad quickly butted in, "but you can call me 'sweetheart' if you wa-" That was as far as he got before May slapped him again, this time sending him flying to the ground.

"So, is this everyone?" May asked, looking around. "I don't see anyone else.."

"Wait!" a voice cried, as a girl perhaps a few year younger than them wearing a yellow hoodie and carrying a small backpack ran up the stairs. She got to the top, a bit out of breath. "I'm Karen Hanaori. Sorry I'm late, the directions were a bit vague."

"Were they? Sorry about that," said a new voice, and they turned to see a young man wearing a black shirt standing in the open doorway. They were all a bit surprised, as none of then had heard the doors opening. "Hi there, I'm Graydon Umemori, the one who called you all here."

"So, what do you want, Graydon?" Chad said keenly. "I'm ready for anything!"

"I'll explain it to you when we are inside," Graydon said, gesturing towards the entrance. "Please come this way." He led them inside, and they followed him through the massive building, looking around in awe.

"Graydon, do you own this place?" Karen asked nervously. "It's so big, you must be rich."

Graydon laughed. "No, not me. This place belongs to my friend Tyson, who I'm taking you to see," he explained. "I just live and work here."

They entered the main room, a room as big as two basketball courts, with seats and plants situated around the walls. Graydon asked then to kneel in the seiza position on some mats in the centre of the room while they waited, something that got rather uncomfortable after few minutes.

Then a young man in a red robe entered, followed by a middle-aged man, similarly robes in gold. The young man in red knelt before them, while the man in gold stood a few feet behind him and to his left.

"Greetings, chosen ones," the young man in red began. "My name is Tyson Shiba, the owner of this manor. Although I am loathe to do so, I have called you here on a matter of great urgency. Evil spirits know as Gedoushu, led by Lord Doukoku, are threatening to cross in to this world. I was initially able to hold them off by myself. But the time has come where I require your help."

"Why us?" Ryan asked. "What could we do that others couldn't?"

Tyson smiled. "You, like me, are descended from ancient Japanese samurai clans. Your blood carries within it great powers than you can utilise to make yourselves far stronger than any human, and allowing you to fight these evil spirits. From here on out, you shall be Power Rangers!"

A full five seconds of silence followed this announcement, then Ryan, May and Karen burst out laughing. Chad merely sat there, a stunned look on his face.

"_Power Rangers?_" Ryan snorted with laughter. "Seriously? _Power Rangers! _You've got to be kidding!"

"Everyone knows that Power Rangers is just some kiddie TV show!" May said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, your story's just ridiculous!" Karen sniggered. "What do you think, Chad?"

"Power Rangers?" Chad said quietly, then leapt to his feet. "That's so freaking AWESOME!" he cried. The other stared as him. If it had been an anime, I'm sure a few sweat drops would have appeared on their heads.

"You're actually believing him?" May asked dubiously.

Tyson sighed. "Look, I haven't got time to argue with you right now," he said. "You want proof? Pull out your talismans and call out 'Origami, Come Forth!' You'll see."

Each one of them pulled out their talismans, Ryan's blue water hexagon, Chad's green wood square, May's pink wind circle and Karen's yellow earth triangle. They glanced at each other, then said as one '**Origami, Come Forth!**'.

The talismans shuddered, and then each unfolded into a creature, which moved around on their hands. Ryan's was a dragon, Chad's was a bear, May's was a turtle and Karen's was a monkey.

Graydon smiled from where he sat. "Each one of your beast spirits is connected to you and your respective elements. They are the Water Dragon, the Wood Bear, the Wind Turtle and the Earth Monkey. Tyson's is the Fire Lion. Each one of them can also be super-sized to become your Zords."

"Wind Turtle?" May said questioningly. "How is a turtle connected to wind? I can't think of an animal that could be _less _connected!"

"Well," Graydon apologised, "you see, it's a _flying _turtle."

"A _flying turtle?" _May said incredulously. "What is this, _Love Hina_?"

"Mi," the turtle said to itself, and everyone stared at it for a moment.

"Anyway..." Graydon continued, getting back on track, "I think that is proof enough that what we say is true. Anyone still objecting?"

"I believed you from the start, dude," Chad said happily, his bear roaring its approval.

"Well, I guess you must be telling the truth, so I'm willing to help however I can," Karen decided, her monkey swinging on her fingers.

May sighed. "The whole thing sounds ridiculous, but I suppose I could just go along with it and see how it turns out."

Everyone looked at Ryan, who grimaced. "Well, if I say no now, I'll just look like a jerk, so I guess I'm in for the meantime," he said.

"Excellent!" Tyson replied. "I think we should then get on to training immediately. Graydon, could you take their belongings to their rooms?"

"Sure, no problem," Graydon replied, picking up all four heavy bags with ease and taking them upstairs.

Tyson gestured to the man behind him who bowed respectfully. "This here is Hikoma Kusakabe, my vassal. He and Graydon will train you in the ways of the samurai."

"Greetings, my lords and ladies," Hikoma said. "I hope I will be able to serve you well."

"Uh, I don't think we're lords..." Ryan said, confused.

"You are descended from the ancient samurai clans, my Lord Ikenami." Hikoma explained. "Therefore, proper respect is required of me."

"Just humour him," Tyson said. "I've been telling him for years to call me by just my name, but he still calls me lord." He then turned and opened the sliding door behind him. "If you'll excuse me, I have my own training to attend to." He then left, closing the door.

"Now, I suggest we start on our training," Hikoma began, but before he could continue, bells began to sound all over the manor. Tyson quickly re-entered the room, and the sound of someone falling down the stairs announced the arrival of Graydon, looking a bit bruised and with laptop in hand.

"Nanashi again?" Tyson asked Graydon, who was typing away frantically.

"Yes, it definitely seems so. But something's wrong... Wait, no way!" he exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" Hikoma asked, as the bells continued to ring.

"According to this, there are over two hundred Nanashi currently in Tovern City," Graydon said faintly, "and... oh, no... that can't be right..."

"What? What is it?" Tyson demanded.

Graydon looked up, his face pale. "They have an Ayakashi with them!"

"But that's not possible!" Hikoma whispered. "You said that it would be months before the crevices would be stable enough to send one through!"

"Somehow, they seemed to have stabilised a _lot_ faster than I predicted," Graydon replied.

"Um, excuse me...?" Chad asked, he and the others looking a little confused about the conversation. "What are Nanashi and Ayakashi?"

"Nanashi are foot-soldiers of the Gedoushu," Tyson explained, "the main bulk of their force. Ayakashi are fearsome creatures moulded from human spirits and bent to Lord Doukoku's will."

"You'll have to get out there and stop them," Graydon said, "They're tearing Tovern City apart!"

Tyson turned to the other Rangers. "Come on, we have to go!" he said, and he ran to the entrance, the others following him quickly.

"But we haven't had any training yet!" May said desperately. "We don't know how to fight."

"Don't worry," Tyson said, "Once you morph, you'll instinctively know what to do. Speaking of which," he continued, digging through his pockets, "you'll need these. Catch!"

He threw to each of them what looked like orange flip-open mobile phones. "These are your Brush Cell Morphers," he explained. "Take good care of them, you can't morph without them!"

"Good to know," Chad said thoughtfully, tucking his safely into his pocket, the others doing likewise.

"Now let's go!" Tyson cried, their samurai blood, activated by contact with the morphers, automatically made them run much faster than a human could normally run.

**A few minutes later, at Tovern City...**

"That's right, flee your pathetic worms! Flee from the mighty Kagekamuro," the spiny-armoured Ayakashi roared, leading his force of Nanashi, humans running before them shrieking in terror. "The more you panic, the more power you feed to my master!"

"Stop right there, foul Ayakashi!" a powerful voiced commanded. Kagekamuro turned to see who would defy him.

Atop a flight of stairs stood the Power Rangers: Tyson, Ryan, Chad, May and Karen. "Your spree of terror ends her, disgusting beast!" Tyson continued.

Kagekamuro sneered, waving his twin curved swords at him. "And just who do you think you are, trying to scare me?"

"Us?" Tyson said. "Oh nobody, just... _the_ _POWER RANGERS!_"

"What?" Kagekamuro hissed, his Nanashi gathering around him.

Tyson pulled out his morpher, the others following suit, knowing automatically what to do. They folded their morphers into their brush forms, then drew the kanji of their elements in the air in front of them, them spinning them around with a swipe from their morphers to face the opponent.

"**_SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" _**they cried in unison.

One flashy, too-awesome-to-describe-properly transformation sequence later, they stood before the monsters as Power Rangers. Their uniforms were similar, but each was colour-coded to their element, and each helmet visor was shaped like the kanji for that element.

"Strike Ranger Red, Tyson Shiba!"

"Strike Ranger Blue, Ryan Ikenami!"

"Strike Ranger Green, Chad Tani!"

"Strike Ranger Pink, May Shiraishi!"

"Strike Ranger Yellow, Karen Hanaori!"

"POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE!" they cried once more.

"Get them!" Kagekamuro roared at the Nanashi, who charged at the Rangers, who were already descending the stairs. The Rangers quickly began to dispatch the Nanashi with ease.

"This is amazing!" Ryan said excitedly, taking out several Nanashi in one swing. "It's like I've known how to do this all my life!"

"I guess it's our samurai blood kicking in!" Chad replied, stabbing away at the oncoming horde.

The Nanashi continued to go down, but more kept coming, until they were completely surrounded and vastly out-numbered. "There shouldn't be this many," Tyson said. "Graydon, what's going on?"

"_The Ayakashi crossing into this world seems to be keeping the crevices open," _Graydon replied over their mopher's communicators. _"More and more Nanashi are flowing in all the time! If you take out the Ayakashi, that should stop the flow."_

"Understood; take out the Ayakashi," Tyson said, then turned to the others. "You four, hold back the Nanashi for me, I'll take on the Ayakashi."

"But how? There's too many of them!" Karen cried, afraid.

"Use your Bushido Super Weapons, that'll clear them out." Tyson replied, spinning the red disk on his sword. **"Bushido Super Weapon! Fire Buster Sword!" **he cried, and his sword changed into a massive red blade that looked rather like a certain Final Fantasy character's sword.

With one swing of that mighty blade, Tyson took out thirty Nanashi at once, clearing a path to Kagekamuro, which the Nanashi quickly filled after he had passed through.

"That's pretty cool," Ryan admitted. "Let me try!" He clipped the blue disk from his belt onto his sword, span it and called out **"Bushido Super Weapon! Water Longbow!" **His sword changed into a blue metal longbow, but instead of a string, it had a pull-back handle, and there were no arrows to fire. "That's a bit odd," he said, pointing the bow at the Nanashi, pulling the handle and letting go to see if it would do anything. Immediately, dozens of water arrows shot forth, obliterating the Nanashi he was aiming at. "Huh, guess it does work." he said, amazed.

"Alright, let's go!" May said, spinning a pink disk on her sword. **"Bushido Super Weapon! Wind Fan...** wait, what?" she exclaimed, as her sword turned into, well, a large Japanese fan. "How will this help? I want my sword back!" she cried as a group of Nanashi swarmed towards her. Instinctively, she swung it at them, and a huge gust of wind blew up around her, blasting the Nanashi up into the air and throwing them far away. "Oh, that _does _help," May said, staring at the fan. "I guess this _will_ be useful!"

"I'll see if I can help!" Karen called, spinning a yellow disk. "**Bushido Super Weapon! Earth Slicer!**" Her sword then changed into a huge yellow shuriken. She used it to block a few swings from the Nanashi, then spun it at them, slicing through them as if they were butter. "I guess that's why it's call a Slicer!" she said, catching it as it came back to her.

"Okay, now my turn!" Chad cried, spinning a green disk. "**Bushido Super Weapon! Wood Spear!" **His sword turned into a green spear, with a long blade on the end. "Oh well, not as cool as the others, but it'll do!" he said, stabbing it into a few Nanashi before swinging it around, slicing into the Nanashi surrounding him. "Nanashi, you just got -"

"_Please _don't finish that sentence!" May said, blasting away a few more Nanashi nearby.

Meanwhile, Tyson was charging at Kagekamuro, who was firing energy blasts at him, Tyson barely able to black them fast enough with his huge blade. Tyson got close enough to swing a few times at the Ayakashi, but they were all blocked by the curved blades Kagekamuro wielded. A well-placed kick to his side, however, dropped his guard, and Tyson slammed him with his blade, sending him flying into a car.

Kagekamuro staggered to his feet, enraged. "I'm not done yet! Eat this!" he roared, picking the car up and throwing it at Tyson, who calmly sliced it in half, the halves falling to either side of him. He then swung his sword in a massive arc, smashing Kagekamuro's blades out of his hands. Tyson then charged right into him, driving him backwards into a pillar and pinning him there.

"Kagekamuro," Tyson said, preparing his biggest swing yet, "you're finished!" He swung his blade as hard as he could, slicing straight through Kagekamuro and the pillar behind him. Kagekamuro screamed, fell over and exploded, as Tyson's buster blade changed back into its normal sword form.

"Wow," Karen said, watching, the rest of the Nanashi destroyed. "Tyson's incredible, isn't he?"

"Hey, I was incredible too!" Chad said proudly. "I totally owned all those Nanashi!"

"Yeah right, you barely manage to kill any of them!" May retorted angrily.

"Tyson, are you alright?" Ryan said, running towards him.

"Stop!" Tyson commanded, the others halting immediately. "Ayakashi have two lives, and their second life is _far _more dangerous!"

There was a thunderclap, and an enormous gout of steam jetted from the ground, announcing the arrival of Kagekamuro's second life. He looked exactly the same... except he was now taller than most of the buildings in the city.

"Oh, crap..." Ryan gasped. "How are we meant to defeat that?"

"I think you should know how," Tyson said, pulling out his talisman. "It's time for the Zords!"

The others pulled out his talismans too, held them up and called out together "**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!"**

The talismans changed into their beast forms, then expanded rapidly to full Zord size. The Rangers then teleported into the control rooms of their respective Zords, which looked rather like a very small room from Tyson's manor, with a control station in the middle, where they slid their swords into to use like joysticks.

"Oh, yeah, now I feel right at home!" Chad said happily, his experience with video games giving him superhuman joystick powers.

"You're going down, Kagekamuro!" Tyson said, charging his Fire Lion Zord forward, slamming into the massive Ayakashi.

"Why, you! Get back here!" he roared, blasting energy beams at the Zord as it ran around him. The beams hit, and the Zord sparked as it took damage.

"Tyson, get back!" Ryan yelled. "you can't fight him alone! I'll flank left, Karen, you flank right!"

"Okay, got it!" Karen said, as her Earth Monkey Zord charged forward, jumped onto the Ayakashi and started punching away. Kagekamuro roared and swung at the Zord with his blades, but Karen jumped it out of the way onto a nearby skyscraper, climbed to the top and then dive-bombed the Ayakashi, swashing him slightly.

"Now it's my turn!" May called out, speeding her Wind Turtle Zord forward, spinning as it went, creating a tornado.

"I don't think so!" Kagekamuro sneered, slamming the turtle with his sword, stopping the spinning. The face on his robe then reached out and chomped onto the Zord, chewing on it as it held on.

"Eww! Yuck!" May yelled, disgusted. "It's trying to eat me!"

"Don't worry May, I'll save you!" Chad said, charging his Wood Bear Zord at the Ayakashi, easily dodging the beams fired his way with his superior reflexes and joystick skill.

"Take this!" he yelled, slamming into Kagekamuro, clawing away with his paws. The Ayakashi roared, and tried to pick up the Zord, but it clawed at his face, and then dropped onto his foot. Kagekamuro screamed in pain, releasing the Turtle Zord in the process.

"Go, run now while you have the chance!" Chad yelled to May.

"Okay, and thanks!" May replied as both Zords backed out of Kagekamuro's reach.

"Oh no you don't, get back here!" he yelled, chasing after them, but was then stopped by Ryan's Water Dragon Zord ramming him head-on.

"Leave this to me!" he said, his dragon powering up an attack. **"Dragon Waterfall!" **he yelled, a great jet of blue flame blasting from the dragon's mouth, knocking Kagekamuro back.

Then Tyson's Zord charged forward, drawing his sword from the control panel as he did so. "And now to finish you!" he yelled. "**Five-Sided Giant Blaze!"**

The Fire Lion Zord shifted into a flying form, and masses of flames covered it. Damaged badly by the attacks, Kagekamuro could not dodge, and Tyson rammed with maximum power straight into him. The Zord changed back to its lion form and landed behind the Ayakashi, who began to spark all over and, screaming, toppled to the ground, exploding once more, this time for good.

"Red Strike Ranger, mission complete," Tyson said victoriously.

**Later, back at the Shiba Manor...**

"Congratulations Rangers on a job well done!" Graydon greeted them along with Hikoma when the returned. "Your teamwork was magnificent!"

"Yeah, it was loads of fun!" Chad agreed.

"Speak for yourself," May retorted. "I was terrified for most of it."

Tyson, merely nodding to Hikoma and Graydon, continued on upstairs to his room.

"Hey, Tyson, where are you going?" Ryan asked. "aren't you going to celebrate with us?"

"You'll have to forgive him, Lord Ikenami," Hikoma explained. "Celebrations aren't really his thing."

Graydon was typing away on his laptop. "Well, it looks like Kagekamuro's destruction destabilised the crevices a whole lot, since he was being used to keep them open. They won't be able to send another Ayakashi through again for a few days at least."

"Thank god," Karen said gratefully. "I could use a few days rest after that!"

"So," Graydon said, turning to Ryan and May, "have you decided yet whether you're staying on, or is this a one-time-only thing?"

"Well, I must admit I did have fun working together with everyone," May mused, "and it sure beats working at a daycare centre every day. So, sure, I'll stay on."

"Same with me," Ryan agreed. "Being a Power Ranger is great fun. I'll stay too!"

"Excellent!" Hikoma said. "I rather hoped you would stay, as we can't really replace you, and we would be in a bit of trouble if we were two Rangers down."

"Alright everyone," Graydon said to them, "I recommend you go to bed now and get some well-deserved sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow; we'll be starting training at dawn!"

"What? Training at dawn?" Chad said, horrified.

"Yep!" Graydon replied happily. "You all need it, especially you, Chad!"

"Me? Why me?" Chad cried, as Graydon followed Tyson upstairs.

"Ha ha," May teased him, "sucks to be you!"

"Oh, shut up May," Chad retorted bitterly.

END CHAPTER THREE

Well, three chapters in as many days! Boy am I tired! I'll be taking a few days break, but don't worry, Power Rangers Samurai Strike will return! And next chapter, the Megazord finally appears! Look forward to it!

Oh, by the way, for those who watch Shinkenger, have you noticed that Shinken-Oh's finishing move looks very similar to the one used by the Thunder Megazord in MMPR Season 2? It only just occurred to me.

See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Trust in the Red

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai

Well, I kinda finished this one earlier than planned, but I wanted to get it done, since it's the first appearance of the Megazord! Enjoy!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 4: Trust in the Red_

**Shiba Manor, dawn...**

"Alright everyone, rise and shine!" Graydon called out, banging away on a large gong. "Time to start your training!"

_Oh god, _Ryan thought, falling out of bed. _He wasn't joking..._

"Come on, get moving everyone!" Ryan heard Graydon opening the doors to the other rooms, his voice slowly getting closer. "Especially you, Chad, move it!"

The door to his room slid open with a crash, and Graydon strode in, his arms poised to bang the gong right next to Ryan's head. "I will do it if you don't get moving!" he threatened.

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" Ryan groaned, slowly getting to his feet. "Just let me get changed first, okay?"

"Fine, but change into your training outfit, alright?" Graydon said, leaving the room. "It should be in that chest of drawers over there."

Ryan closed the door, and then looked though the drawers. His training outfit was fairly simple; a loose-fitting, sleeveless blue shirt, white shorts and a blue headband. There were no shoes, but then he remembered that martial artists don't tend to wear shoes when training.

Ryan exited his room, yawning, saw Chad wearing a similar outfit to his, except green, and gave him a tired smile. "They really like the whole colour-coding thing, don't they?"

Chad grinned in reply as they went downstairs to the main room. "Well, it's one of the rules of Power Rangers, isn't it?" he said reasonably. "All Rangers must always wear at least one item of clothing that is their Ranger colour."

They entered the main room, where the other Rangers, Graydon and Hikoma were. May and Karen were standing in the middle of the room chatting, while Tyson was off to one side, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Good to see that you finally made it," Graydon smiled. "Now, this first training session will be fairly simple. You all know how to wield your swords and Bushido weapons perfectly thanks to your samurai blood, but I want to teach you how to fight empty-handed if you are caught off-guard by Nanashi and don't have time to morph."

"Sounds like fun," Chad said, spoiling the statement somewhat by yawning. "Did we really have to train this early in the day?"

"The sooner we get started, the better," Graydon said sternly. "We didn't get to train yesterday because of the attack, so we're already a day behind, and we originally thought we had two months to train you. But now we have to pack as much as we can in before the next attack."

He then turned to Karen and Ryan. "Now, I believe you two have had some training already in martial arts."

"Well, yeah," Ryan replied, "but that was years ago, and now I just do archery."

"And I practice kendo," Karen added. "I don't really know how to fight without a weapon."

Graydon frowned, thinking. "Well, I'll just test what you can do for now," he decided. "You first, Ryan. Show me what your remember."

Ryan dubiously moved into a fighting stance. He _had _done a bit of karate as a kid before he moved on to archery, but it was for only a year or so. He was surprised, however, that his body still seemed to remember the moves he had been taught, probably helped along by his samurai blood.

Ryan focused himself, then sprang forwards with a right lunge punch towards Graydon. It looked like it would connect, but at the last second, Graydon moved aside with astonishing speed and let Ryan's fist go past him. Not expecting his fist to miss, Ryan continued forward, unable to stop his momentum, until Graydon's foot came out of nowhere, and swiped his legs out from under him, sending Ryan crashing to the floor.

Tyson snorted and looked away. "Pathetic," he muttered to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey!" Ryan said angrily, picking himself up of the floor. "It's been years, okay? Of course I'm no good at it!"

"Then you'd better learn quickly, hadn't you?" Tyson retorted. "A person who cannot fight should not be on a battlefield." He then swept from the room, Ryan glaring after him.

"Don't worry about him, Ryan," Graydon said consolingly, "let's just try that again, alright?"

**Meanwhile, on the Sanzu River in the Gedoushu dimension...**

"So," Lord Doukoku thundered, staring at a quivering Shitari, "Kagekamuro failed, did he?"

"I deeply apologise, my lord!" Shitari bowed low. 'The Power Rangers were far stronger than we anticipated!"

"That Kagekamuro was a weak fool," Doukoku fumed. "But no matter; soon the world of the humans, and those wretched Rangers, will be sunk into the Sanzu River, and dominion of the world shall be mine!"

"I have a suggestion, my lord," Shitari said hesitantly. "The Sanzu River tends to overflow when an abnormal amount of human suffering flows into it, usually by an earthquake or epidemic. If we could cause the humans to suffer far more then usual, and transfer that to the river, the river itself could flow though the crevices, and you yourself could enter the human world on-board the Rokumon. The Rangers would stand no chance then!"

"Hmm, sounds interesting," Tayu mused to herself, playing her shamisen. "I guess that squid-face is useful for something after all."

"Excellent idea, Shitari!" Doukoku laughed evilly. "And I have the perfect Ayakashi for the job of human suffering, too!" He went out onto the deck, and called to the river. "Ootsumuji! I call on you!"

From the river emerged a vile Ayakashi. His head looked like a spiky ammonite shell, with the ugly fanged face in the middle of the spiral. His body was heavily armoured, and covered in long crab-leg-like spines. "You called, Lord Doukoku?" Ootsumuji growled.

"Take some Nanashi with you, go though the crevices as soon as you are able," Doukoku ordered, "and make the humans suffer like they never have before!"

"It'll be my pleasure..." Ootsumuji hissed.

**Shiba Manor, the next day...**

"Man, Tyson is such a jerk," Ryan muttered, as he and Chad sat in one of the rooms off the main one. "Every time he speaks, I lose all motivation for this whole Ranger thing." He glared at the floor. "Who does he think he is, talking down to me like that?"

"Well, he _is_ the Red Ranger, so he _is_ our leader," Chad said fairly.

"But that still doesn't excuse him from being such a jerk!" Ryan said angrily, kicking the floor as May entered through the door.

"Have either of you seen Karen?" she asked, worried. "I can't find her anywhere, she's disappeared!"

"Disappeared, you say?" Chad said, quickly standing up.

"She probably just went shopping in Tovern City," Ryan shrugged, still fuming about Tyson.

"I still think we should go looking for her," May pleaded. "She's younger than us, and Tovern City's a big place; she could of gotten lost."

Ryan sighed. "Fine, we'll go look," he said. _Anything to get my mind of that jerk Tyson..._

**Tovern City, a few minutes later...**

"Karen!" May called, walking around, Chad and Ryan following her. "Are you here? Where are you?"

"I bet she ran off because of Tyson's bad attitude..." Ryan muttered.

"Oh, will you lay off him already?" Chad said, exasperated. "He's not _that_ bad, you know."

"If you like him so much, maybe you should marry him!" Ryan retorted hotly.

"Okay, that's enough you two!" May shouted, standing between them. "We still need to find Karen, remember?"

"Just who's side are you on, anyway?" Ryan asked her.

May smiled. "I'm not sure, really," said said thoughtfully. "I gave up my job and my studies to be here, so I am willing to fight along side him..." Then she frowned. "But if he _does _turn out to be just a heartless jerk, I'll be on your side, Ryan."

"Well, I've given things up too, you know," Chad said. "I left my beloved arcade behind to come here, but I'm still willing to fight."

"Wow, video games, what a sacrifice," Ryan said sarcastically.

"Why, you...!" Chad went for Ryan again, but May blocked his path.

"I said stop it, you guys! Jeez!" May sighed. She then stopped, looking into the main park of the city. "Look! There she is!"

Ryan and Chad turned around, and sure enough, there was Karen, practising kendo moves with a stick.

"Karen!" May called, as she and the others approached her.

Karen looked around and saw them. "Oh, hello," she said, embarrassed. "I guess you found me."

"You're practising by yourself?" Ryan said, confused. "Why?"

"Well, I want to be as useful as I can to Tyson, so I wanted to train," Karen said nervously, "but I would have been embarrassed to do it in the manor with everyone watching."

"You sure are dedicated, aren't you?" Chad praised her, and she smiled.

"I just want to help protect everyone," she replied. "That's why I'm a Power Ranger." Her face then fell. "For my big sister..."

"You have a sister?" May asked, surprised.

Karen nodded sadly. "My big sister Beth was the one who Graydon sent the scroll to," she said. "She was the one he wanted to be a Ranger. But she's sick, and she can't leave the hospital, so I decided to go in her place." She then smiled. "That's why I train so hard; so I can be just as good of a Ranger as Beth would have been!"

Ryan, Chad and May stood there listening, Ryan a bit less irritable, Chad with tears in his eyes. "That's so beautiful!" he sobbed. May just smiled sadly and hugged Karen.

The mood was spoilt as their Brush Cell Morphers beeped loudly. Ryan pulled his out and flipped it open. "Hey Graydon, what is it?"

"_You guys are in Tovern City, right?" _Graydon replied, sounding worried.

"Yeah, why?" Chad asked.

"_You'd better be ready to fight," _Graydon continued. _"I'm detecting massive Nanashi readings in the city; over five hundred of them! And they have an Ayakashi with them, too! Tyson's on his way over now. Stay where you are, he'll meet you there."_

"Rodger that," Ryan said, looking around them, "but staying still might not prove to be the best idea..."

They were completely surrounded by Nanashi.

"No time to morph!" Chad said quickly. "Let's put our training to the test!"

"Let's go!" Ryan yelled as the Nanashi charged forward.

The Rangers stood their ground as the Nanashi surged towards them, and began to kick and punch out when they came in range. Karen discarded her stick and seized one of the swords a Nanashi had dropped. Now armed, and with her kendo training backing her up, she began to slice through the ugly creatures.

Then the Ayakashi arrived, swiping away with massive strands of hair from his ugly head, smashing into buildings, sending people fleeing in fear. He then saw them, and an evil smile spread across his face. "Ah, the Power Rangers!" it hissed. "Lord Doukoku is very upset with you!" He then signalled to the Nanashi. "Kill them, but only one at a time, though. It'll be more fun that way!"

The Nanashi all surged forwards at once, but then Tyson's Fire Lion zipped in, smashing into the front ranks, knocking them back, and smacking the Ootsumuji across the head for good measure. It then flew back to Tyson, who ran over to the other Rangers, pulling out his morpher as he went.

"What are you waiting for?" he yelled. "Morph now while we have the chance!"

"Right!" they replied, flipped their morphers to brush mode, then painting their kanji in the air, and spinning them around with a last swipe of their morphers.

"_**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **_they called out in unison, activating the transformation sequence.

One thunderclap, flash of rainbow and unnecessary explosion behind them later, the Power Rangers stood in a line, fully morphed.

"POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE!" they announced.

"GET THEM!" Ootsumuji roared, and the Nanashi charged. The Rangers drew their swords and leapt into the fray. The Nanashi went down easily, but more kept coming.

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Water Longbow!" **Ryan called out, his bow materialising in his hand. He turned and fired into the oncoming masses, dozens of Nanashi going down from the arrows.

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Wind Fan!" **May's sword became her giant fan, and she began to sweep up huge gusts of wind, blasting the Nanashi away.

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Wood Spear!"** Chad seized his spear and swung in into the horde, the point slicing into the vile creatures, taking them down in waves.

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Fire Buster Sword!" **Tyson's massive blade obliterated dozens of Nanashi with each swing. He then looked around and saw the Ayakashi smashing buildings to the ground. Without another thought, he charged forward and swung at the beast. But Ootsumuji was faster than he looked, his own massive sword blocking the swing. Again and again they swung at each other, neither doing any damage. Until...

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Earth Slicer!" **Karen's giant shuriken, clearly aimed for the Ayakashi, went off-course and slammed into Tyson, dropping his guard.

"Thanks for the opening!" Ootsumuji sneered, and his sword smashed into Tyson, sending him flying into a building.

"Tyson!" the other Rangers cried out.

"Oh god Tyson, I'm so sorry!" Karen sobbed, running to his side as he struggled to get up.

"And now to finish you off, Red Ranger!" the Ayakashi roared, swinging his hair around to build up a massive strike. **"Whorl-of-hair Vacuum Whip!"**

The huge whip shot downwards, aiming right for Tyson, but at the last second, Karen jumped in the way, the whip hitting her dead-on, the damage forcing her to de-morph.

"_Karen, NO!" _Ryan screamed, he, Chad and May arriving too late to stop her.

Tyson limped over to her. "Can you stand?" he asked without pity.

"Look at her!" May said to him, Karen coughing weakly. "Of course she can't!"

"Then leave her," Tyson said, causing the others to stare at him, shocked. "As I said before, a person who cannot fight should not be on a battlefield." He looked into Karen's face. "I did not want your help or your protection; I work best alone."

"Then, you know what?" Ryan yelled at him, de-morphing. "Screw this! You want alone? You got alone! I quit!" He threw his morpher to the ground.

"Same here, you heartless jerk!" May agreed, de-morphing as well.

"Even if you are the Red Ranger, I can't forgive you for not caring about your team-mates," Chad said, shaking with anger as he de-morphed.

Tyson stared at them for a long moment, his expression unreadable behind his visor. "Fine," he said in a deadpan voice, retrieving his sword and going after the Ayakashi once more.

"Come on, Karen," May said, helping her to her feet. She stood there, wobbling slightly, staring at Tyson, tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe he's really like that..." she sobbed, then gasped. "Look!" she said pointing.

The others looked around as Tyson deflected a few blows from the Ayakashi, then retreated behind some rubble... and picked up a little girl hiding there. "Run now," he said to her, "I'll protect you!"

The others stared in amazement as the little girl ran. Ootsumuji swung his sword at her, but Tyson blocked with his blade. Over and over, the Ayakashi swung at the girl, And Tyson blocked his attacks with his sword and even his own body.

"Why do you continue?" Ootsumuji growled, Tyson gasping in pain from the many hits he received. "Just give up, it'll be much quicker."

"I will _not_ give up!" Tyson roared. "I will not allow others to be hurt because of me and my mistakes! I will protect everyone!"

The other Rangers stared at each other after this announcement. "Could that mean...?" Karen said, her eyes filled with wonder.

"He doesn't want us to not fight because we're useless..." Ryan said in amazement.

"He want us to not fight because he doesn't want us to get hurt by helping him!" Chad finished.

"He really does care about us after all!" May said, crying with happiness.

"Then we'd better show him that we care about him!" Ryan said, retrieving his morpher, the others doing likewise.

"_**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!"**_ they cried, and morphed back into Rangers, now ready to fight for each other, including Tyson.

They ran towards him as Ootsumuji built up another power attack. **"Whorl-of-hair Vacuum Whip!" **he cried, the whip once more aimed at Tyson, but the other Rangers deflected the whip with their swords.

"You came to help me," Tyson said, stunned.

"Of course!" Ryan replied, flashing him a thumbs-up. "You couldn't expect us to let our leader die, could you?"

"Thank you," Tyson said, and he meant it. "Now, attack together with me!"

"Right!" they cheered, spinning the disks on their swords. **"Elemental Katana Mode!"**

As one, they charged towards the Ayakashi, each blade one after the other blasting Ootsumuji with their elements. The mass of power ripped through him, and, screaming, he toppled over and exploded.

"Here it comes," Tyson warned, "the second life."

With a thunderclap and a burst of steam and fire, Ootsumuji rose up once more, now hundreds of feet tall.

"Let's go, it's Zord time!" Tyson called to the others, pulling out his talisman, the others following.

"**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they yelled in unison, their talismans expanding and transforming into their Zords, the Rangers teleporting inside.

The Zords charged forward, but the swings of Ootsumuji's giant blade kept them back.

"We can't attack like this!" Ryan said, narrowly dodging a swing.

"_The Zords alone won't work this time," _Graydon said over the morphers. _"It's time for you to form the Megazord!"_

"Alright!" Chad cheered. "I've been waiting for this! Lets go! Zords, combine!"

The Zords folded up into huge versions of their talismans, and then clicked together.

"Yeah, alright! Megazord, attack!" Chad commanded.

"Uh..." May interupted, "...how? I don't think this is right..."

"What do you mean?" Chad said looking around outside, then he saw the problem. "Oh."

The Zords were merely stacked on top of each other, like toy blocks.

"What is that supposed to be?" Ootsumuji said, laughing. "It looks so stupid!"

"You idiot!" May yelled at him. "You don't know how these things go together, do you?"

"Well I bet you don't either!" Chad retorted.

"Be quiet and let me do it," Tyson said over them. The Zords split apart as he used his morpher to draw the kanji for 'combine' in the air. **"Zords, Combine! Megazord Formation Activate!"**

The Zords folded into their respective parts, flew through the air and merged properly, the Lion forming the torso and head, the Monkey and Turtle forming the arms, and the Dragon and Bear forming the legs. A part of the Dragon flew off and folded into the shape of a samurai helmet, which the Megazord placed on its head, as a katana appeared on its belt.

"**Formation Complete!" **the Rangers said in unison, teleporting into the main control room. **"StrikeBlade Megazord!"**

"Oh yeah, this is much better!" Chad said happily.

"It's a heck of lot better than yours," May said wryly.

"Hey, no fair!" Chad snapped.

"I kinda liked the other one too," Karen said consolingly.

"Don't encourage him," Ryan advised her.

"Focus, all of you!" Tyson commanded. "He's coming!"

Ootsumuji was indeed charging at them, sword held high. The Megazord drew its own sword and blocked the swing. The Ayakashi swung several more times, but the Megazord dodged easily, then it delivered a powerful overhead strike, knocking him down and cutting his sword blade off.

"Yeah, awesome!" Chad cheered again.

"And now to finish you!" Tyson shouted, the Rangers all drawing their swords. _**"Samurai Strike! **__**Elemental Slash!"**_

The symbols of the blade of the Megazord lit up, surging power along it. The Megazord than swung the blade in a slow circle in front of it, building up power, before it slashed downward with a massive overhead swing, blasting the power forth, slamming straight through the Ayakashi, who fell to the ground and exploded in a mass of sparks.

"Samurai Strike Rangers, mission complete!" the Rangers called out victoriously.

**A short while later...**

Tyson and Karen stood, de-morphed, awkwardly facing each other in the Tovern City park, Ryan, Chad and May looking on.

"One of you is going to have to say something eventually!" Chad called to them, but May shushed him.

Tyson then smiled nervously, and held out his hand, which Karen shook. "Thank you for protecting me," he said. "And I'm sorry I told the others to leave you behind."

Karen smiled back. "Thank you for apologising," she replied.

Tyson then turned to the others. "I apologise to you as well," he said. "You did not understand my intentions at first, so I must have seemed like an awful person. But I will try to be more open with my emotions from now on."

Ryan clapped him on the shoulder. "It's okay, we forgive you," he said. "After all , what are friends for?"

Tyson smiled. "Well, we'd better get back to the manor," he sighed. "I'm sure Graydon will want to continue training."

"What? _More _training?" Chad exclaimed. "Haven't we done enough?"

"I know for a fact you haven't," May said slyly. "I don't really want to try fighting as Stack Megazord ever again!"

"Hey, Stack Megazord was awesome!" Chad retorted, as the others laughed. "He'd kick StrikeBlade's butt any day!"

"Now _that _I'd like to see!" May said, grinning.

END CHAPTER FOUR

See you guys next chapter!

A/N: For those who watch Shinkenger I cut the Megazord vs. giant Nanashi fight scene as I found it kinda unnecessary, as the Nanashi went down pretty easily, and I think it was just filler anyway.


	5. Chapter 5: Game On, Green!

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai

Sorry about the LONG wait everyone! After hammering out the first four chapters of PRSS in three days, I decided to take a bit of a break, but I didn't intend for it to be over two months long! So please enjoy this new chapter! I'll try to update far more often from now on.

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 5: Game On, Green!_

**Shiba Manor, morning...**

It was a few days later, and the Rangers were in the garden, practising their samurai skills. Because of the last clash they had with the Ayakashi, they had decided to improve their sword-fighting skills, and so they were learning kendo from Karen, with help from Tyson. Or, at least, Ryan and May were learning. Chad hadn't been seen all morning.

"Where _is _Chad?" Karen said irritably. "It's not like him to miss training, even in the mornings."

"Don't worry," Tyson smiled grimly. "Graydon went looking for him a few minutes ago. It shouldn't be long now."

"Uh, oh," Ryan said, "I sure hope he isn't still in bed..."

Right on cue, the unmistakable sound of a gong being hit _very_ hard echoed from the manor, followed by _"OW! ALRIGHT, I'LL GET UP ALREADY! JEEZ!"_

A minute later, Graydon entered the garden, dragging behind him a still-half-asleep Chad, who looked like he had been forcibly dressed.

"Chad, why are you so late for training?" Tyson demanded.

"Sorry, Tyson," Chad said, grinning apologetically. "I stayed up too late last night gaming, and I guess I overslept."

Tyson glared at him. "You should not take this lightly," he said angrily. "Despite your enthusiasm for being a Ranger, your skills are the weakest out of all of us. You need this training more than any of us, and instead you oversleep because you spent the night _gaming?_"

"Well... yeah." Chad said simply, then winced as Tyson hit him on the head with his practice sword. "What did you do that for?"

"Try dodging it next time," Tyson said unapologetically. "You are holding us all back with you disregard for training. Do you want that?"

"Well, since you put it like that..." Chad said guiltily.

"While your combat skills are in dire need of improvement, your kanji-writing skills need work, too," Tyson continued, pulling out a sheet of kanji symbols. "Without the symbols being written properly, you cannot harness the true power of your Brush Cell Morpher. So, for your punishment for missing training, you will write out _five hundred pages of characters._"

"What?" Chad cried. "That's insane!"

"And I want it done by the end of today," Tyson said with a tone of finality in his voice.

Fuming, Chad snatched the sheet from Tyson's hand and stomped back inside.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" May asked Tyson. "I mean, sure, he _is_ a total slacker, but still..."

"He needs to learn to take his training seriously," Tyson replied. "Just pure enthusiasm wont do it, he needs devotion and dedication as well. We _are_ talking about protecting the world here."

"I guess..." May mused, staring at the manor.

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

"Shitari!" Lord Doukoku roared from where he was sitting in the cabin of the Rokumon. "Have the waters of the River risen yet?"

"I'm afraid not, my lord," Shitari replied sadly, measuring the depth of the river with a weighted rope. "As a matter of fact, they almost seem to be going down..."

Doukoku growled, the music of Tayu's shamisen calming him down only slightly. "So, Ootsumuji failed as well, did he...?"

"Your Ayakashi do seem to be rather unreliable," Tayu murmured quietly to herself.

"At this rate, the Sanzu River will never flow into the crevices," Doukoku continued to rage.

"It seems master is losing his temper again," a slimy voice called, as an Ayakashi clambered aboard. Its squashed torso and head seemed to be gripped tightly from behind by a giant hand, and most of its body was covered in hand-shaped scaly lumps. Enormous clawed hands reached out on the ends of what looked more like tentacles than arms.

Doukoku glared at this newcomer. "I do not recall summoning you here, Rokuroneri," he stormed.

"Ah," Rokuroneri hissed, "but I deemed it was necessary, with the failures of the others and all."

"Your skills haven't decreased, have they Rokuroneri?" Shitari enquired.

"Of course not!" Rokuroneri sneered at him. "If anything, they've improved ten-fold!"

"Oh really?" Tayu said to him, pausing in her music. "Try and use those big words of yours to stop the Rangers then."

"You watch your mouth!" he snarled back. "If my master wasn't here, I'd leave you dying on the riverbank!"

Tayu gasped in anger, then threw the plectrum she was playing her shamisen with at him. Rokuroneri barely dodged it in time, and it stuck into the wall behind him, clearly showing how sharp it was.

"The one who should watch his mouth is you," she hissed, pulling the plectrum from the wall, then turning her back to him. "You're disgusting; there is no way you could stand up to me."

"Always playing the princess," Rokuroneri chuckled evilly. "How pathetic." He paused, then his smile became truly evil. "How's your son, by the way?"

Tayu whipped around, her plectrum at the ready again, but Doukoku's roar of "Stop!" halted her mid-throw.

"Tayu, stop that immediately!" he continued, and she lowered her arm. "Rokuroneri, stop angering her, and go rampage the human world already!"

"Of course, my master," Rokuroneri replied, as Tayu walked away. "I will fill the Sanzu river with so much sorrow, that it will pour through the crevices in waves! I won't let the likes of the Rangers interfere!"

**Shiba Manor, later that morning...**

Tyson sat on the back porch, looking out of the garden where they had trained that morning, his Fire Lion playfully flying about. Everything was peaceful, until he heard Hikoma cry out.

"Lord Tani, where are you!" he yelled, running from room to room. "Get out here this instant!"

"What's the matter, Hikoma?" Tyson asked as he walked inside, curious as to what Chad could have done now.

"Ah, Lord Tyson, there you are," Hikoma said, relieved. "You set Lord Tani to writing five hundred pages of characters, didn't you?"

"Yes I did, why?" Tyson replied. "Has he not started yet?"

"Oh, he's started alright, and finished too! Look!" Hikoma fumed, showing Tyson as sheet of paper, on which merely the kanji characters for 'five hundred pages of characters' was written, and underneath, in English, 'There, done! -Chad Tani'.

Tyson balled his fists in fury. "That Chad," he growled. "How dare he mock me! Where the hell is he? He'll pay for this!"

**Meanwhile, in Tovern City...**

"Yes! Take that!" Chad said, as he sat in an arcade, mashing away on a fighting game. "Man, this is so relaxing!"

He turned to his friends Max and Andrew, who were on machines next to him. "It's great that you guys could visit, it's so stressful here!"

"Speaking of which," Max said, brushing his long ginger hair out of his face, "what _are_ you doing here in Tovern City?"

"Yeah," Andrew chimed in. "We haven't seen you since we graduated high school. Did your parents send you to an out-of-state college or something?"

"Er..." Chad hesitated, "...kind of, yeah." That _was _the story he had told his parents anyway; that he had been accepted at a prestigious college and had to live on-campus.

They ate lunch at a café, where, much to Chad's annoyance, Max and Andrew continued to question him.

"You have to practice kendo?" Andrew said incredulously. "At _dawn?_"

"Yeah, it's like the main sport there," Chad said evasively. "Everyone has to do it."

"That must be a real pain." Max commented. "The headmaster must be really strict there."

"Tell me about it," Chad muttered, thinking of Tyson. "He's always ordering me around, and hitting me with his practice sword."

"That's totally absurd," Andrew said, shaking his head.

"I know, right?" Chad continued, glaring at people walking past, the pavement on which they walked, and the glowing cracks in the pavement - wait, glowing cracks?

"Oh, no," Chad muttered quietly, "_please _don't let it be a crevice!"

But unfortunately it was, as Rokuroneri burst forth from it, terrifying everyone nearby. They ran screaming, but the monster's long stretchy arms reached out and wrapped around them.

Chad looked around to see if the other Rangers had arrived yet, but they had not. _Great, _he thought to himself, _that means I'll can take him on alone. I'll prove to Tyson I'm not useless!_

"Guys, you stay back!" he called to Max and Andrew. "I'll handle this guy!"

"Wait, Chad, come back, it's not safe!" Max yelled after him as Chad sprinted at the monster, pulling out his Brush Cell Morpher and drawing his symbol as he went.

"_Samurai Strike! Blades Unite!" _he called out, and quickly morpher into the Green Ranger. Drawing his sword, he leapt into battle.

"You're going down, Ayakashi!" he yelled, slicing away, but Rokuroneri blocks his swings with his thick, tentacle arms.

"Wait," Max said in amazement. "Chad is the Green Power Ranger?"

"That's so awesome!" Andrew cheered.

"So, Ranger, have you come to be eaten?" the Ayakashi cackled.

"Eaten? No way!" Chad cried, slashing again and again. Rokuroneri deflected the blows easily, then slammed his fist into Chad's helmet, sending him flying head-over-heels and finally crashing to the ground.

"Oww..." Chad groaned, picking himself up, "this guy's tough."

Rokuroneri laughed again. "You think that was bad, Ranger?" he taunted. "Wait till you see my special technique!" Saying so, he smashed his fist into the ground, and it tunnelled out of sight, his arm stretching after it.

"Oh, great," Chad said, desperately looking around, "Now what... huh?" The ground beneath his feet buckled, then exploded as the Ayakashi's fist shot out, smashing the Ranger once more.

Rokuroneri grinned menacingly. "I call it **Tunnel Arms**. Nice, huh? You can beat me now! How can you dodge an attack you can't see?" His arms tunnelled away once more, and Chad was pounded over and over again.

"Right, okay then," he said, getting a moment's reprise from the attack. "Try and get me up here!" He then summoned up all his samurai powers and leapt atop a nearby building.

"Ha, nice try Ranger," Rokuroneri sneered, "but NOTHING can escape my reach!" An arm shot out of the ground... straight up the side of the building.

"Oh, you've got to be _kidding me!_" Chad yelled, and the fist smashed him once more, sending him back to the ground.

"Chad! Are you alright?" Max called out, he and Andrew running towards him, but they stopped as the Ayakashi saw them.

"Oh, who are these?" Rokuroneri murmured, staring at them. "Friends of the Ranger?"

"Max! Andrew! RUN!" Chad cried out, but it was too late; the monster lashed out with its fists, sending them flying and crashing to the ground.

"No!" Chad screamed, struggling to get up.

"Don't worry, Ranger," Rokuroneri chuckled sinisterly, walking towards him. "It'll be all over for you as well soon." One long arm swung downwards, and it would have crushed Chad if Tyson, morph into the Red Ranger, hadn't come in out of nowhere to block the terrible blow with his sword.

"About time you got here," Chad said, but Tyson did not reply, merely attacking the Ayakashi ruthlessly.

"You Rangers all use the same strategy!" Rokuroneri laughed, leaping far out of Tyson's range. "But try and beat this! **Tunnel Arms!**" Once more, the arms tunnelled underground. Tyson sensed the arms as they went at him and stepped backwards, but not far enough. The fist flew out from the ground, smashing him down.

"Not bad, Ranger Red!" the Ayakashi sneered. "You can sense the auracoming from my arms underground. But your skills at aura-sensing aren't refined enough yet for you to _completely _dodge my attacks!"

Tyson and Chad tried to rise as May, Karen and Ryan, all morphed, arrived.

"Tyson, are you okay?" Karen said, running to his side.

"Come on Chad, get up already!" May said, helping Chad up.

"Ryan," Tyson groaned, "use your Water Portal skill to get up out of here!"

"You got it!" Ryan said, drawing a blue circle around them with his sword. **"Water Clan Skill! Portal Transport!" **he called out, and the five of them vanished in a bright blue flash.

"Heh, they ran off!" Rokuroneri hissed with glee. "Now, to destroy the city in peace."

Suddenly, the Ayakashi's body began to quickly dry out. "Uh oh," he said," I guess I used up too much Sanzu River water on those special techniques." He opened up the crevice back to the Gedoushu dimension. "Better head back and recharge," he said, walking through the crevice and closing it behind him.

**Shiba Manor, a bit later on...**

May, Karen and Ryan looked on awkwardly, as Tyson and Chad stood in the garden, staring daggers at each other. Graydon leant on the doorway to the manor, looking concerned. None of them moved or said a word, until Hikoma returned.

"My Lord Tyson," he said, bowing. "I have located the two boys that were with Lord Tani during the incident. They are injured, but will be fine, and I have prudently removed their memories of the event."

"A wise move," Tyson finally spoke, " as _someone _revealed his identity to them." He renewed the power of his glare at Chad.

"Hey, I had no choice!" Chad retorted, pointing angrily at him. "You guys took too long to show up, so I had to morph and deal with the situation myself.

"We only took so long because we were trying to locate _you!"_ Tyson snarled back. "If you hadn't run away to see your friends, none of this would have happened. And good work 'dealing with the situation'. Not only did you reveal your identity, but you failed to hold off the Ayakashi until we got there to help!"

"How _exactly _was I supposed to hold him off?" Chad snapped. "Even you had a hard time against him!"

"I could of dealt with him easily if I hadn't been so busy protecting you." Tyson fumed.

"Fine, go ahead!" Chad spat. "The next time he shows up, take care of him yourself!"

"No," Tyson replied. "As you have messed this situation up badly, I will have you resolve it. Your slacking is at and end, Chad. I am issuing you an ultimatum; if you are unable to defeat the Ayakashi by this time tomorrow, I will revoke your right to be a Power Ranger."

May and Karen gasped, Graydon frowned and Ryan looked shocked, but not nearly as much as Chad; he looked positively thunderstruck. "But... how?" he stammered. "Who else could possibly use the Green Ranger powers? You said it was connected to my family's blood."

"You have a few cousins, I believe," Tyson said indifferently. "Any one of them could use the morpher. The connection will not be as strong, but they will suffice."

Chad growled, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Train hard, Chad," Tyson said as he walked back inside with Graydon and Hikoma. "Your very future as a Ranger depends on it." As Graydon walked away, he turned and made an apologetic smile at Chad, and then disappeared inside

Chad glanced at the others. Ryan and Karen looked sympathetic, and May seemed like she was going to say something to him, but he didn't want to hear it. He marched back inside, out the front door, down the stairs and into the forest outside.

"Oh, Chad," May said despairingly.

**Later that night...**

Chad wandered through the forest alone, desperately trying to come up with a way to defeat the Ayakashi. The Tunnel Arms skill was nigh undefeatable at his current level. There seemed to be no way he could match their unpredictability.

But then he realised something. Even though the arms could attack over and over again, there was only even two arms. To attack, they had to dive back underground again, so it would be two long arms, going in and out of a bunch of holes in the ground.

Also, no matter how far the hands stretched, they always had to be attached to the Ayakashi by its long arms, and they had to go around objects that were too solid to break. Suddenly, an idea came to him. But he would need to train hard for it to work.

Grabbing a stick to use a a practice sword, he crouched into a ready position, and then sprinted forth, running as fast as he could, swinging his stick as he went. He'd need to be much faster for his plan to work! He'd train all night if need be! He'd show that stupid Tyson that he could do it!

_More power_, Chad thought, _I need more power!_

Meanwhile, Tyson sat in the garden, meditating. He needed to vastly improve his aura-sensing abilities. Should Chad fail the next day, he would need to use this skill to dodge the Ayakashi's attacks and defeat it.

Silently, he focused, reaching his mind out, detecting small insects in the air, and the other Rangers, Graydon and Hikoma sleeping inside.

_More power_, Tyson thought, _I need more power!_

_We both need more power!_

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

Shitari measured the depth of the River from the Rokumon, as Rokuroneri recharged in the river nearby.

"Ah, it's rising!" he said happily. "It's slow, but it's definitely rising!"

"Are you certain?" Lord Doukoku growled.

"Of course, my lord," Shitari replied, bowing low.

"Ah, I feel alive again!" Rokuroneri said, clambering on board. "I don't mind being an Ayakashi, but it's an annoyance that we can't stay away from the River for too long."

"Then go and make the Sanzu River flow over into the human world!" Doukoku commanded. "Then you'll never run out of energy!"

"It will be my pleasure," the Ayakashi hissed.

**Tovern City, the next day...**

People fled as Rokuroneri once again terrorised the city, flanked by an army of Nanashi. "No use in running, you worms!" he roared, roping his arms around them. "Suffer, and make the Sanzu River flow deep!"

The Nanashi ran around, sending the citizens screaming in fear, until a voice called out. "Stop right there, Nanashi!" it said, and the Nanashi and Rokuroneri turn to see Tyson, Ryan, May and Karen standing before them. They pulled out their morphers and drew their symbols in the air.

"SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" One thunderclap, rainbow flash, and inexplicable explosion later, and the Power Rangers stood morphed.

"Oh my, just the four of you?" Rokuroneri mocked them. "Where's the green one? I was looking forward to pummelling him after yesterday."

Karen looked around, worried. "Where _is_ Chad? I hope he's ready."

May shook her head. "He had better not given up and chickened out."

"Chicken out?" they heard Chad say, and he ran out in front of them, looking tired but determined. "Not on your life!"

"Chad, you came back!" Ryan said, starting towards him, but Chad put up a a hand to halt him.

"Wait," he said, glaring at Rokuroneri. "I hope you're ready, Ayakashi!" he said, pulling out his morpher. "I'll beat you this time!"

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" the Ayakashi said, shaking in pretend fear.

"You should be," Chad smirked, drawing his symbol and morphing in a flash of green light. He then turned to Tyson. "No interference, okay?" he said to him. "That Ayakashi is mine. You told me to beat him, so I will."

Tyson stared at him, then nodded. "You do that." he replied. Chad couldn't read his expression behind his helmet.

Drawing his sword, Chad turned to the army of Nanashi and Rokuroneri. "Alright, here I come!" he yelled, and dashed forward, smashing Nanashi out of his way, charging straight at the Ayakashi.

Tyson turned to the others. "He can't handle all those Nanashi by himself," he told them. "Take out the army, but leave the Ayakashi to him, got it?"

"Right!" they replied, diving into the mass, charging their swords with spinning disks. **"Elemental Katana Blast!" **the Rangers called out as they ran, and the blasts of energy smashed through the ranks of Nanashi.

Meanwhile, Chad engaged the Ayakashi. He swung his sword back and forth, but as before, no attacks got through, and Rokuroneri slammed him backwards with a powerful punch. He landed on his feet, and stepped back, taunting the monster. "Come on, show me what you've got!"

"So, you want to see my special technique again, do you?" Rokuroneri sneered. "Very well!" As he rose his arms to smash into the ground, Chad inexplicably turned away from him, and crouched into a sprinting start position.** "Tunnel Arms!" **the Ayakashi roared, and the arms slammed into the ground and tunnelled forwards. At that same instant, Chad, with a final yell of "Catch me if you can!" sprinted as fast as he could away.

"What?" Rokuroneri snarled. "Get back here, you coward!" The arms dove in and out of the ground, continuously getting close to Chad, but not close enough to hit. He dodged, ducked and weaved around obstacles, and still the arms followed; around support columns, under fences and through tunnels, the arms kept going.

Eventually, Chad led the arms back to the Ayakashi. "Over here, freak!" he called from behind Rokuroneri, who turned and saw him.

The Ayakashi grinned. "You fool," he hissed. "You've stopped running! Now taste my fists!"

"Oh, crap," Chad said, as a fist burst out of the ground at him, but suddenly, Tyson was there again, blacking the blow with his sword. "Hey!" Chad yelled him. "I said not to interfere!"

"Not the best time to be complaining, Chad," Tyson growled at him, holding back the fist.

"Not bad, Ranger," Rokuroneri cackled, " but I've got _two _arms, you know!" The second arm flew out of the ground and pinned Tyson to a pillar. Without him holding it back, the first arm shot towards Chad... only to stop inches away from his helmet.

"No, I hit my maximum length!" the Ayakashi bellowed in annoyance.

"I knew there must have been a maximum!" Chad said bravely, but inside he was scared to death.

"So what?" Rokuroneri spat. "I'll just un-stretch my arms and get you from here!" He then began to retract his arms, but then they stopped and wouldn't go any further. "No!" he roared, suddenly understanding the reasoning behind all Chad's running and weaving. "My arms are all knotted up and can't come back!"

"That's what I was counting on!" Chad said, drawing his sword and clamping a disk to it. Spinning it, his sprinted at the tied-up Ayakashi. **"Elemental Katana Blast, Maximum Power!" **he yelled, slicing straight through Rokuroneri, who fell screaming to the ground and then exploded.

"No problem," Chad said proudly, as Tyson picked himself up and the other arrived.

"Good work, Chad!" Karen congratulated him. "You beat him!"

"All he did was run away, though," Ryan interrupted, shaking his head.

"Oh, leave him alone, Chad," May replied. "He beat him, didn't he? Let's just leave it at that."

"Not yet," Tyson said, walking towards them. "We still have the Ayakashi's second life to deal with, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Chad said, turning as the Ayakashi grew, dwarfing the buildings next to it. "Forgot about that. But I can take care of him, too!" He pulled out his talisman **"Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!"**

Chad's green bear expanded out, and he teleported inside. The bear Zord, charged the giant Ayakashi, but he merely kicked out and send the Zord flying. The bear flipped through the air, but was caught by the other Zords.

"Hey, I said I didn't need any help!" Chad snapped at them, but Tyson was too busy drawing the "Combine" symbol to reply.

"**Zords, Combine! Megazord Formation Activate!" **he called out, and the Zords flew together.

"No, wait!" Chad protested to no avail. "I can take him, I can!"

"**Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!"** Tyson called out over him.

"Hey," Chad yelled at him. "don't go forming the Megazord whenever you like! I could have taken him myself-"

"You only beat him before by tricking him." Tyson cut him off. "He won't fall for that twice."

He turned to the others. "Give me full control of the Megazord," he said to them. "It's time to show the fruits of _my _training."

"Your Megazord is too bulky to run!" Rokuroneri laughed. "You'll fall victim to my technique for sure, this time! **Tunnel Arms!**" Away the arms tunnelled, but he Megazord merely drew its sword and stood still.

"Hey, why are we just standing here?" Chad said to Tyson. "We need to run!"

"Silence! I need to concentrate!" Tyson snapped back. "All we have to do is dodge it. I need to focus to sense the aura from the arms and move at just the right moment."

Both the Ayakashi and the Megazord stood silent, as Tyson saw in his mind's eye the arms tunnelling towards them. As the arms burst forth, Tyson yelled "_NOW!_" and the Megazord jumped back and swung its sword, neatly slicing off both of Rokuroneri's hands.

"No, my beautiful hands!" he screeched, staring the stumps where his hands used to be.

"And now, to finish you!" Tyson commanded. As one, the Rangers drew their swords and spun their coloured disks upon them. The Megazord's swords lit up, with power surging along the blade.

"_**Samurai Strike! Elemental Slash!" **_the Rangers cried out, and The Megazord swung its mighty blade slicing the Ayakashi in two, which exploded in a magnificent pyrotechnical display.

"Samurai Strike Rangers, mission complete!" the Rangers victoriously shouted.

**Shiba Manor, later that day...**

"Well, Tyson?" Chad asked, as they both stood once again in the garden, the others looking on. "I defeated the Ayakashi by myself – kind of – so, can I stay as a Ranger, and fight and train alongside you?"

Tyson stared at him, he face unreadable, then he smiled. "Of course, why not?" he replied. "I wasn't really going to kick you out if you failed anyway."

Everyone stared at Tyson, shocked. "You... you were... _joking?_" Chad yelled at him.

Tyson grinned. "I had to do _something _to get you to take your training seriously." he said happily, then became serious. "But if you slack off from your training again after this, I _will _kick you out. _GET IT?_"

"Got it!" Chad replied, involuntarily flinching back from Tyson's intense and suddenly anger.

"Good," Tyson, said, happy again. "Dawn training tomorrow, be there."

"Yes, sir," Chad said, saluting ironically as Tyson went back inside the manor.

"One weird guy, that Tyson," Graydon muttered from where he was watching.

"You're not kidding," Chad grinned back, but he was thinking hard to himself. _When Tyson stopped that fist from hitting me, and when he was controlling the Megazord, he could sense the aura of the monster almost perfectly._ He then smiled to himself. _He's way above my level. He could have easily finished that Ayakashi himself – if he wasn't busy protecting me, that is._

He looked back at the manor, where Tyson was inside somewhere, probably training again. _You just watch, Tyson, _he thought firmly. _I'll catch up to you some day, so you won't have to protect me any more._

He turned to the others, a grin on his face. "Anyone want to go down to the arcade for a game of _Samurai Slasher III_?"he asked casually.

"Oh, Chad,: May said sadly, shaking her head once more.

END CHAPTER FIVE.

Finally got it done, thank goodness! Now I won't have to keep going back and watching episode 3 of Shinkenger to refresh my memory, as I have been several times of the past two months!

New chapters soon (I hope!). Don't worry, there shouldn't be a s long as a wait as last time.

Please review! The Crazm requires feedback, he eats it for noms! (Okay, not really but still :) )


	6. Chapter 6:The Melancholy of Ryan Ikenami

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai

Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the LOOOOONG wait! My computer went and died on me, so I had to get a new one. :(

Those of you who watch Shinkenger will have probably have noticed that the story-lines of the show and PRSS are fairly close. This chapter was an interesting one to do, particularly as Ryan's and May's personalities and back-stories are a bit different to their Sentai counterparts, so that's part of the reason why this one's late**. **Also, with "Power Rangers: Samurai" now being broadcast, I really need to get going, I'm only four episodes in! Enjoy!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 6: The Melancholy of Ryan Ikenami_

**Shiba Manor, morning...**

It was another normal day for the Rangers. Karen had convinced Chad to practice kendo with her, and the two were swinging away in the garden. May sat on the porch nearby, reading a magazine, and Tyson and Graydon were in the middle of an intense game of Chinese checkers. Ryan was watching Chad and Karen train.

Chad managed to land a blow on Karen, the first time he had ever managed to do so. Karen laughed. "Good work, Chad!" she said happily. "You finally got a strike in!"

"Congratulations!" Ryan chimed in.

"You're acting like this is a big deal," Chad replied, embarrassed. "Am I so hopeless that one hit is cause for celebration?"

Ryan patted him on the back. "But seriously, training must be hard," he said, an odd smile on his face. "If you ever have any problems or worries, come see me, I'll help you out."

"Uh... okay, then... sure," Chad hesitantly replied, weirded out by Ryan's strange mood.

"The same with you, Karen," Ryan continued. "If anything's wrong, or you're worrying about something, come and talk to me. "

"What could be wrong? Why would I worry" Karen asked him.

"Well, you know," Ryan replied, thinking, "you might be homesick, or feel lonely, or feel pressured, or..."

"What's up with Ryan today?" Tyson muttered, staring at him as he continued on.

"He's been like this since yesterday," Graydon replied, taking advantage of Tyson's distraction to move a few of the marbles around. "He says he's trying to be helpful, but it's getting to be really annoying."

"No, nothing like that is wrong," Karen said to Ryan. "So I have no need to worry."

"Oh," Ryan said, looking downhearted, but then quickly changed targets to May. "You don't talk much, May," he said, trying to talk to her around her magazine, which she kept moving in his way. "Surely you must have a few worries and annoyances built up somewhere. Any way I can help?"

"Well, " May said slowly, putting down her magazine to look at him, "I can think of _one _big annoyance right about now."

"Really?" Ryan asked eagerly. "What is it?"

"You," she said simply, returning to her magazine.

Ryan was devastated, while Karen tried to muffled a snigger in her hand. Tyson and Graydon nodded in their appreciation of May's rebuttal.

"But May..." Ryan tried again, only to be smacked on the head by her magazine. "Right, sorry!"

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

The evil ship Rokumon travelled down the Sanzu river, as Tayu gazed into the water, playing a sad tune on her shamisen. A shape suddenly began to emerge under the surface.

"My lord, " she said, turning to where Lord Doukoku lounged. "An Ayakashi is arriving. And it's a strange one..."

Doukoku got up slowly. "I see Namiayashi has arrived," he growled, looking over the side himself at the creature below. "But why? I do not recall summoning him..."

The Ayakashi surfaced, and happily swam to the boat. "Ah, this river is wonderful,"he giggled. "The smell of human tears and screams makes me dizzy with pleasure."

Doukoku frowned as Namiayashi climbed aboard. "This one even disturbs me a little bit," he muttered.

The Ayakashi was not a pretty sight. He was extremely bulky, with one side of his body covered in tiger fur, complete with a fanged tiger head on his shoulder, while the other side made of what appeared to be coral. He held a long, spiky-ended staff in his hand.

"Why have you come here?" Doukoku demanded of him. "I did not call you here."

"Actually I did, my lord," Shitari interrupted, running forward. "I did some research into the river and the various Ayakashi at your command. Namiayashi is the perfect one for the job."

"Oh really?" Doukoku replied, turning to the squid-like wizard. "And why would that be?"

Shitari bowed. "It seemed that the crying from a person suffering from deep sorrow and misery, if channelled correctly through an Ayakashi, would have far more effect on the river then the screams of a hundred scared people," he explained. "And Namiayashi is extremely proficient at spreading sorrow rather than fear."

Doukoku thought about this. "Very well, we'll give it a try." he decided, then turned to Namiayashi. "Do not fail me like the others, do you hear me?"

"Certainly, my lord," the Ayakashi replied, smiling with evil delight. "I will make the humans weep like they never have before!"

Saying so, he leapt overboard, swam to the shore, and entered a crevice that Shitari opened for him. He arrived through the cracks between the cement of a construction site. There were no builders there at the moment, but a young boy, dressed in baseball gear, was walking nearby.

"An excellent first target,"Namiayashi hissed, as he stalked towards his prey.

**Back at the Shiba manor...**

As the Shiba manor was a big place, numerous staff were hired to clean it. Ryan was at this moment following one of them, who heartily wished that he would just go away.

"But you guys are working all the time!" Ryan was saying insistently. "Surely you must have some worries or problems!"

Suddenly, the alarm bells all over the manor started to ring, and Ryan's stomach dropped. Those bells could only mean one thing...

**Back at the construction site...**

"So, do we have a deal, then?" Namiayashi hissed, as the boy sat on the ground, staring at the Ayakashi.

The boy was afraid, bit this creature had made him and incredible promise. He glanced at a small wooden charm he had pulled from his pocket, and then nodded. "You can really do that?" he asked.

Namiayashi grinned in reply. "It's a promise!" he giggled.

The noise of running feet suddenly alerted the Ayakashi, who turned to see Tyson, morphed into the Red Ranger, leaping towards him, sword held high. He barely dodged the swing, bocked a few more attacks, then smashed his fist into Tyson's stomach, throwing him backwards.

Namiayashi didn't have long to recover though, as Chad and Ryan, both also morphed, leapt into the fray, smashing his with their swords.

As the Ayakashi fell over from the blows, May and Karen, both morphed, ran over to the boy. "Are you alright?" May asked him. The boy nodded in reply.

"Ayakashi!" Tyson shouted, pointing his blade at the downed monster. "What were you doing to that boy?"

"Shut up!" Namiayashi retorted, climbing to his feet. "I wasn't doing anything bad! The boy and I are friends. Right?" he continued, turning to face the boy, who recoiled slightly, but nodded again.

"Curse you, you beast!" Chad roared, charging at the monster, Tyson and Ryan following.

"Run, we'll take care of him!" Karen said to the boy, who glanced once more at the Ayakashi, then turned and fled.

Namiayashi, meanwhile, blocked and dodged attack after attack, finally jumping up into the scaffolding of the construction. "This is none of your business, Rangers!" he snarled at them, launching a blast from his staff, knocking them over. By the time the smoke cleared, the Ayakashi had returned through the crevice.

"Damn, we lost him!" Tyson said angrily, de-morphing as he got up.

"What was he up to?" Karen wondered. "He wasn't like the other Ayakashi, who just destroyed things."

"He must be plotting something involving that boy," Tyson answered. "We need to find him and get him to tell us what that monster said to him."

"But where could he be?" Chad asked, exasperated. "Tovern City isn't exactly small, you know!"

Tyson frowned, thinking hard. "He was wearing a baseball uniform, so that gives us a clue," he said eventually. He turn to Ryan and May. "You two check down near the sporting fields. Chad and Karen can check the main city centre, while Graydon and I can look around the housing areas."

"Got it," Ryan answered, and Tyson turned and left, talking on his morpher to Graydon. Chad and Karen headed towards the main city, whilst Ryan and May started towards the sporting fields.

A while later, May spotted the boy, walking along the road leading from the fields, pushing a bike alongside him, a bag with a baseball bat in it slung over his shoulder.

"There he is," she whispered, nudging Ryan. "Now remember, he doesn't know we were there, so we have to be subtle about asking him."

Ryan nodded. "Let me handle this," he replied, then walking towards the boy waving in greeting.

"Hey, kid!" he called out. "I saw you in that fight earlier with the Power Rangers and that big monster! Are you okay?"

May facepalmed. "Jeez, how _less _subtle can you get?" she muttered angrily.

The boy looked startled, and then terrified. "I-I'm fine," he stammered.

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked, cocking his head to one side. "That thing didn't do anything, did he? Like hurt you, or promise you anything?"

The boy suddenly looked angry. "No, leave me alone!" he yelled, leaping onto his bike and riding off.

Ryan turned to May, who was glaring at him, and shrugged apologetically. "Well, I guess that could have gone better..." he said nervously.

May shook her head and sighed. "C'mon, we'd better follow him," she said, and the tow ran after him.

Later still, they finally found the boy outside his house. He was standing in the front yard, and doing practice swings with his bat.

May smiled. "He sure like baseball, doesn't he?" she said. She turned to look at Ryan, and was surprised to see his eyes getting a bit misty.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Ryan jumped in surprise, and quickly wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really," he said evasively, turning away from May and sniffing. She frowned, and walked around his to look into his face.

"C'mon, something's obviously up," she said. "You've been acting odd for days. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Ryan grinned weakly. "Oh, alright then, I'll tell you," he said, as they sat down on a nearby park bench. "It's just that I've been feeling a bit homesick lately."

"Homesick?" May asked, startled. She hadn't expected this.

Ryan nodded. "I kinda miss that stuff I had to give up to become a Ranger," he continued. "It's not that I hate being a Ranger though. I just miss the stuff I used to do when I was a normal teen. Especially now, as seeing that boy practising reminded me of how I used to practice archery every day." He wiped his eyes again and smiled sadly at May. "I'm kinda pathetic, aren't I?"

"No, you're not," May answered immediately. "It's okay to feel like that. I miss some of the things I used to do as well, like shopping with my friends and working at daycare." she thought for a moment. "I guess this explains why you've been trying to help others with their worries lately."

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "I thought if I could help someone else with their worries, mine wouldn't seem so bad."

May smiled at him. "It'll be okay," she said. "It's not like we'll be Rangers forever, is it? Once we defeat Lord Doukoku and the rest of the Gedoushu, we'll be able to back to our old lives, right?"

Ryan smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied. "I just wonder how long that will be, though."

May sighed sadly, and then changed the subject. "We should have someone keep an eye on the boy overnight," she said. "To make sure that Ayakashi doesn't come back."

"I'll do it," Ryan said quickly. "It's the least I can do to make up for messing up earlier."

"Are you sure?" May asked, worried. "It gets pretty cold at night this time of year."

"I'll be fine," Ryan replied, smiling, but May was still worried, and an idea began to form in her head.

**That night, at Shiba manor...**

Tyson, feeling hungry, went downstairs to the kitchen, only to find Karen, Chad and Graydon standing around the kitchen door, peeking in.

"What are you all doing?" he asked. They all started guiltily, and turned to face him.

"Oh, nothing, why?" Chad said innocently.

Tyson didn't believe him for a second, but decided to let the matter drop. "Where are Ryan and May?" he said instead.

"They found where that boy lived, and Ryan decided that he would keep an eye on him tonight, to keep him safe." Karen answered, far too quickly, looking nervous.

Tyson raised an eyebrow at this. "No-one cared to tell _me_ about this, I see," he said, then shrugged. If Ryan wanted to stay up all night, that was his business.

A horrible smell suddenly wafted through the room, and Tyson sniffed. "Is something... burning?" he asked, confused, as the sound of crashing pots and pans came from the kitchen.

"Oh, that's... May." Graydon replied, deciding to tell the truth. "I think she's... cooking."

"What do you mean, '_think _she's cooking'?" Tyson asked.

"See for yourself," Graydon said, indicating the door, and Tyson looked through.

He saw a scene of utter devastation; the kitchen looked quite literally as if a bomb had hit it. Food was splattered everywhere, and all sorts of cooking utensils were lying about. The counters, and even the walls and somehow the ceiling, were covered in burn marks. In the middle of it all was May, wearing an apron covered with food and scorch marks, trying to chop up a large pumpkin with a cleaver. Surprisingly, she seemed quite unperturbed by the mess, and even looked happy, humming as she worked.

Tyson turned to look at the others, shocked by what he had seen. _"Why is she doing this?" _he demanded of them.

"She mentioned something vague about Ryan being homesick," Chad replied, scratching his head. "She felt guilty about him staying up all night, so she decided to cook him some dinner."

"Couldn't she get some of the kitchen staff to help her out?" Tyson asked, watching as May struggled with the pumpkin, the cleaver just not cutting.

"She insisted on doing it by herself," Graydon replied, shrugging. "I really don't understand her."

"I think it's sweet," Karen said, the three boys turning to look at her. "She used to work at a daycare centre, so I guess looking after people who are sad is just second nature to her."

"I just hope whatever she's making is edible," Chad said, as May abandoned the cleaver, and used her morpher to call on her Ranger katana.

"_I _just hope she doesn't get _us_ to taste-test it first," Graydon shuddered, as May's katana sliced through the pumpkin... and the kitchen counter beneath it, causing it to collapse.

**Later that night...**

Ryan sat on the park bench, watching the boy's house and shivering from the cold. He just hoped no-one came along and asked what he was doing. How would he ever explain this?

He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to she May walking towards him, wearing several layers of clothes to keep her warm. She was carrying a plastic lunchbox and a thermos, and several blankets were slung over her shoulder.

"Hi," he said, grateful for some company. "Why are you out here?"

May smiled. "I felt bad about you being out hear in the cold, so I brought you a blanket to keep warm," she answered, hold out one of the blankets.

Ryan took it from her and wrapped it around himself. "Thanks, it's freezing out here," he said, wondering why she had brought more than one blanket.

"I also made you some dinner, in case you were hungry," May continued, holding out the lunchbox and thermos. "You skipped dinner, so I was sure you would be."

The lunchbox contained some kind of curry that was burnt and very spicy, and the thermos contained hot chocolate that was far too hot. Ryan ate and drank anyway, partly because he _was_ very hungry, and partly to not hurt May's feelings.

"Thanks," he said, handing the containers back, expecting May to then leave. He was surprised, therefore, when she instead sat on the bench next to him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I figured we could take it in turns to watch," May replied, wrapping another blanket around herself. "This way you don't have to stay up all night."

"Are you sure?" Ryan replied. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"It's okay, I'm sure," May said, yawning. "You just get some sleep, I'll wake in a few hours for your turn."

Ryan smiled at her, genuinely thankful. He wrapped himself more tightly in his blanket, closed his eyes, and was asleep almost instantly.

**The next morning...**

Ryan suddenly jerked awake, the early morning sun on his face blinding him momentarily. He then realised what this meant.

_It's morning already? _he thought, alarmed. _But May didn't wake me for my turn at watching! Did something bad happen to her?_

He turned to look at the bench next to him, and was startled to see May sitting there, fast asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. "Well... this is awkward." he said out loud.

The sound of a gate slamming alerted him and woke May. She was disoriented for a moment, but then saw the boy they had been trying to protect run down the street, his baseball gear in his backpack.

"Oh, no!" she cried out. "I fell asleep!" She turned to Ryan. "I'm so sorry," she apologised. "I was so tired after making dinner that I couldn't stay awake!"

Ryan turned to her. "It's okay," he said calmly. "We'd better get after him."

The two of them got up and raced after the boy. They had only gone a short distance when Ryan's morpher began to beep at him. He pulled it out and opened it up. "Yeah, Graydon, what's up?"

"_Ryan, have you seen May?" _Graydon's voice came from the morpher. Ryan could hear the manor's alarm bells in the background. _"We can't find her anywhere!"_

"Don't worry, she's with me," Ryan replied as he kept running. "She helped me keep watch last night"

"_Oh, good," _Graydon said, sounding relieved. _"You guys better get moving! That Ayakashi's back at the construction site. The other will get there as soon as they can, but you'll have to hold him off by yourselves for now."_

"Got it," Ryan said, and turned to May. "It looks like the boy was headed towards the construction site. That can't be good, he must be meeting the Ayakashi there."

"Then let's go!" May replied, pulling out her morpher as she ran. Together they folded their morphers into their brush forms, and drew their kanji symbols in the air.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they yelled, and with a rainbow flash and a inexplicable explosion Ryan and May morphed into the Blue and Pink Strike Rangers and sprinted away.

They arrived at the site to find the boy climbing the scaffolding. His bag with his baseball gear was in a trash can nearby.

"Get down from there!" May cried. The boy turned to look at her, anger and fear on his face.

"No!" he yelled. "He promised that he would grant my wish if I did this!"

"And I will! I keep my promises!" an evil voice behind the Rangers said. They turned to see the Ayakashi standing there, giggling with glee.

Namiayashi gazed at the boy. "Now do it! Do it and I will grant your wish!"

The boy pulled a wooden charm from his pocket, stared at it, stared at the monster, nodded once... and then stepped off the scaffolding.

He was not high up, but it was high enough. When he hit the ground, Ryan and May, paralyzed with shock, clearly heard his leg break. They ran towards the boy, who was whimpering with pain.

"Why would you do this?" May cried, holding him gently. The boy looked up at her, and held out the charm in his hand.

"My grandpa gave me this," he explained. "He said it would bring me good luck, that it would help me win at baseball." His eyes welled up with tears. "But he died last year, and I miss him so much. That monster said that if I gave up baseball, and broke my leg to make sure I couldn't play again, he would bring my grandpa back to life."

He turned to look at the Ayakashi. "So, will you bring him back now?" he begged. "Please?"

Namiayashi cackled "Of course not, you little fool!" he sneered at the boy. "I can't really grant wishes. My promise was completely fake!" He cackled again.

The boy was shocked. "You mean I broke my leg for nothing?" he cried, distraught.

"_Yes!" _The Ayakashi yelled back.

The boy then began to weep, tears pouring down his face, and Namiayashi sighed happily, revelling in the sound. "Ah, that beautiful sound," he sang happily. "Nothing beats the sound of a pitiful child crying-"

"THAT'S IT!" a voice roared, and the Ayakashi turned to see Ryan and May, both trembling with rage, Water Bow and Wind Fan both pointed straight at him.

"You foul beast!" Ryan snarled "Taking pleasure in a child's suffering?"

"How could you?" May snapped. "I will never let you get away from this!"

"Ryan! May!" Tyson called, as he, Chad and Karen, all morphed, arrived on the scene.

Ryan turned to them, as hundreds of Nanashi footmen poured out of cracks in the cement. "You guys take care of the Nanashi. May and I have a score to settle with the Ayakashi."

Tyson nodded, understanding. "You got it," summoning his Fire Buster Sword, and smashing away at the Nanashi. Chad and Karen followed suit, their Wood Spear and Earth Slicer making short work of the footmen.

Ryan and May, meanwhile, launched themselves at Namiayashi, bow and fan shooting and blasting away. The Ayakashi blocked their attacks easily with his staff. "Is this really the best you can do?" he hissed at them.

"No, actually," Ryan said calmly, and suddenly he and May hit with all their strength, smashing the monster backwards.

"And now, to finish you!" May yelled, her and Ryan's weapons changing back into their katana forms. They span the disks on the hilts, powering up the blades with elemental energy. In unison, they charged at Namiayashi.

"**Double Elemental Blade, Maximum Power!" **they yelled **"Storm Hurricane!"**

Their two swords, one of water, one of wind, smashed straight through the Ayakashi's staff, and sliced into him. He screamed, toppled over, and then finally exploded.

"Alright!" Chad cheered, as the Nanashi retreated. "Good work you two!"

"Thanks," May replied, "but it's not over yet. We still have the second life to go."

Namiayashi suddenly erupted, growing many stories tall. "I'll make you regret you ever crossed me!" he roared, smashing into buildings, a new staff regenerating in his hand.

"Of course, _now _he's just like the regular Ayakashi," Karen said, she and the others pulling out their talismans as she spoke.

"**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they cried in unison, and their talismans transformed into their Zords, the Rangers teleporting into the control rooms.

Tyson wasted no time in drawing the "Combine" symbol. **"Zords Combine! Megazord Form Activate!" **he called out, the Zords combining together, and the Rangers gathering in the main control room. **"Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!"**

"Ooh, fancy!" Namiayashi mockingly called out to them. "You've got yourselves a big shiny robot! How intimidating!"

"Ignore him," Tyson said to the others, the Megazord drawing its sword at he spoke. "Let's take him down!"

The Megazord charged at the Ayakashi, swinging its sword at him, but he merely sneered at it.

"I'll be taking this!" he said, the tiger head on his shoulder shooting out and snatching the sword from the Megazord's hands.

"Oh, no!" May cried, as the monster dropped its staff and started swinging away with the sword. "Now what?"

"I've got an idea!" Ryan replied, teleporting back over to the control room for his Water Dragon, and detaching from the Megazord. "May, disconnect yours as well!"

"Uh, okay," May said, confused, and she did so, the Megazord now missing an arm and a leg.

"What the heck are you two doing?" Tyson yelled, the Megazord wobbling, trying to keep its balance.

"I've got a plan, trust me!" Ryan yelled back. "May, fold your Zord up into its circular talisman form!"

"Why?" May asked, dodging swings from Namiayashi.

"Just do it, okay?" Ryan replied. May hesitated, then folded her Zord up like he asked. Ryan's Zord then swooped down and picked her up, soaring high into the air, directly above the Ayakashi.

"Okay, here we go!" Ryan said. "May, you'd better brace yourself!"

"Why, what are you going to AAAAAAAAAHH!" May's question was cut sort by her scream, as Ryan dropped her, causing her to slam at high speed right on Namiayashi's head.

The monster screamed and fell over, dropping the sword in pain, which the Megazord, hopping as fast as it could, quickly grabbed.

"Never, EVER, do that to me again, Ryan!" May yelled at him, as the two Zords reconnected to the Megazord, and they returned to the central control room.

"Okay, fine," Ryan apologised, "but at least it worked right?"

"At least tell me next time what you're planning to do!" May snapped.

"You two can argue later," Tyson interrupted, "We've got an Ayakashi to finish here!"

"Oh, right," Ryan said, he and May focusing once more on the monster, now picking itself up.

"Ow," Namiayashi said, rubbing his head. "That was no fun at all... huh?" He looked up and saw, too late, that the Megazord was powering up its final attack. "Oh, damn," was all he was able to say before the sword smashed into him.

"_**Samurai Strike! Elemental Slash!" **_the Rangers cried out, slicing straight through the monster. The Ayakashi screamed, toppled over in a shower of sparks, and exploded.

"Samurai Strike Rangers, mission complete!" the Rangers cheered in victory.

**The next day...**

A game of baseball was on today, and the boy the Rangers rescued, whose name they found out was Ben, was watching the game sadly from the sidelines, his leg in a cast and crutches lying next to him.

The Rangers, Graydon and Hikoma were also watching the game from a different set of stands. They saw Ben sitting there, and Tyson turned to Hikoma. "Isn't there something you can do for him?" he asked. "Maybe with your magic?"

"Magic?" Chad said, confused. "Hikoma can use magic?"

"Certainly, Lord Tani," Hikoma replied, "but I am not very adept at it. That was how I was able to erase the memories of your friends Max and Andrew. A broken leg, however, is beyond my abilities to fix, and even if I could, people would become suspicious about how a leg healed so fast."

"Oh," Ryan said sadly. "You couldn't erased his memory of the Ayakashi, and make him think he broke it in some accident?"

"I suppose I could, Lord Ikenami," Hikoma said. He then smiled. "But I have something better in mind." He then moved his hands in complex shapes and patterns pointing at Ben, muttering under his breath as he did so.

A sudden glow of light appeared next to Ben on the bench. It formed into the shape of an old man whom Ben seemed to recognise. The boy's sad face turned into a smile as this ghost-like figure spoke to him. And then after a while, the ghost disappeared.

"Who was that ghost?" May asked Hikoma, her eyes wide.

"That was Ben's grandfather, Lady Shiraishi," Hikoma explained. "It was not a ghost, but a memory projection. I searched Ben's memory to see what his grandfather looked like, and then created an image to look like his ghost. I then had the image speak to Ben, telling him that his grandfather forgave him for falling for the Ayakashi's trick. Hopefully, Ben shouldn't be as sad anymore."

"Wow, that's amazing," Karen said, awed.

"Well, that's Hikoma for you," Graydon replied, patting Hikoma on the back.

"I'm glad that everything turned out well in the end," Ryan said, putting his arm around May's shoulders.

May glared at him. "Get your hand off me," she snapped, and Ryan quickly pulled his arm back, as if he was burned. She then got up at stalked off.

"She still hasn't forgiven you for the whole dropping her thing has she?" Chad asked Ryan as they watched her leave.

Ryan sighed. "Unfortunately, no," he replied, scratching his head. "I don't understand, I thought she liked me, with the whole cooking me dinner and sitting with me on the park bench thing..."

Chad and Karen looked at each other and started laughing. Ryan turned to look at them, a hurt expression on his face. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Chad controlled he laughing and replied, "She didn't like you, she was just taking care of you since you were sad."

"It's just part of her daycare instincts," Karen added. "I guess that, since you're not sad anymore, she's gone back to her old self."

"Oh," Ryan replied, very embarrassed. "Well... that kinda sucks..."

Chad and Karen started laughing again.

**END CHAPTER SIX**

Whew, FINALLY got this one done! I think it's the longest chapter so far!

I'm glad that this chapter's done, I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Also, bonus points to anyone who noticed the reference to "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" in the chapter title :)

I PROMISE Chapter 7 won't take over six months this time, because next chapter is what I've been looking forward to: The beginning of the Ronin Zord story arc! What are these Ronin Zords I speak of? Well, you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out!

Please review, it's great to get your feedback! Also, if you want any questions a bout PRSS answered, send them in, I'll be glad to answer them at the beginning of next chapter!

See you next time! May the Power protect you!


	7. Chapter 7: A Bug in the System

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai

Aaaaand we're back! This Chapter, a new story arc begins, one I've been looking forward to! Have fun!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 7: A Bug in the System_

**Shiba manor, night...**

Night was always a quiet time at the manor. The Rangers always trained hard all day, so they always needed plenty of rest for the next day's dawn training. So they always made sure to sleep soundly, and the manor was silent and dark at night.

However, on this particular night, one of the rooms was lit up, not by the ceiling light, but from the light emanating from at least a dozen computer monitors covering one wall. Most of them were displaying complex lines of code, but the biggest one, in the center, showed a map of the world, with a targeting reticule slowing moving back and forth across it.

In a corner of the room, inside a glass case, was what looked like a miniature assembly line, with many tiny robotic limbs welding and wiring, building something that was not yet recognizable. On a table next to it and plastered on all the wall space not taken up by screens were complex blueprints for some kind of device, its use impossible to figure out from the confusing diagrams.

And in the opposite corner, lying on a bed strewn with takeaway sushi boxes, snoring loudly, was Graydon. For this was his room.

Suddenly, the reticule on the map stopped moving, and the screen zoomed in on its location. All the other screens changed to show what looked like a rotating wireframe image of one of the elemental disks the Rangers used on their swords. A loud beeping started coming from a speaker connecter to the computers.

Graydon was startled awake; sending boxes flying, he darted over to the computers and started typing away on one of the five keyboards. The beeping stopped as he typed. Now grinning, he hit the enter key and the words TARGET LOCATED appeared across the top of the map screen, along with the co-ordinates of the location selected.

Graydon quickly tapped at one of the other keyboards, and one of the smaller screens changed, showing the words _Contact Morpher: Strike Red. _A few seconds later, Tyson's sleepy voice came from the speaker. _"Jeez, Graydon, what time is it?" _it said angrily.

Graydon quickly looked at his watch. "About 2 am," he replied, excitement very evident in his voice.

Tyson grumbled incoherently for a bit, then said _"This had better be worth it..."_

"Tyson," Graydon said, pausing for dramatic effect, _"I've found one!"_

**Morning, several days later...**

Chad, May, Ryan and Karen were gathered in the main room, all stunned rigid by Graydon's announcement.

"A day off from training?" Chad said, disbelief and joy in his voice. "Are you serious?"

"Sure," Graydon replied, calmly eating his breakfast (takeaway sushi again), ignoring the stunned looks on the others faces. "You guys have been training really hard lately, and I think you deserve a break." He then grinned. "Plus, Tyson isn't back from his training trip yet, so take advantage of my mercy while you can."

"Awesome!" Chad cheered, punching his fist in the air. "I'm going to the arcade! Those machines won't know what hit them!"

"I think I'll go clothes shopping," May said. "Spring's coming up, and I'm way behind on the latest fashions."

"Wait a minute, you two!" Ryan interrupted before they could run off. "I think we should do something together. You know, spend some time with each other."

"But we already spend every day together, in training!" May protested.

"True, but we've never had the chance to just relax," Ryan countered. "The chance to actually talk and get to know each other."

Chad and May looked at each other, then sighed. As Chad muttered something about his thumbs getting twitchy from video game withdrawal, Ryan turned to Karen, who had remained silent so far. "What do you want to do, Karen?" he asked her.

"Well..." Karen thought, tapping her chin. "There's WildFunLand, that amusement park in Tovern City. I've never been to one before, so I was thinking of going there, but I didn't want to go alone."

"Perfect!" Ryan said, clapping his hands together. "We can go there!"

"Hey, don't just decide that by yourself!" Chad argued, as the door leading to the entrance hall opened.

The Rangers turned around as Tyson entered, a rucksack slung over his back, and his usual serious expression on his face.

"Tyson, you're back!" Chad said, a bit of the excitement gone from his voice; would Tyson cancel the day off?

"Graydon's giving us the day off, and we're going to WildFunLand!" Karen said happily, ignoring Chad's panicked hand signals to be quiet.

"I see," Tyson replied, completely disinterested, walking past them to the door that led to the stairs.

"Don't... don't you want to come with us?" Karen asked hesitantly, surprised with Tyson's coldness.

Tyson stopped at the open door, and turned to look at them. "No, I'm busy," he said shortly. "You go without me." Saying so, he went upstairs, closing the door behind him.

"I just don't understand his sometimes," May sighed.

"Guess he's not coming then," Ryan said. "Graydon, you coming?"

Graydon grimaced, packing away his breakfast things. "Sorry, but I've got some stuff to do as well." he replied sadly. "You guys make sure to have fun for me, okay?"

"You got it!" Chad said to him, giving a thumbs up, May sniggering quietly at his enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, upstairs in his room, Tyson put down his rucksack and reached inside. He withdrew an slim, ornate box, clearing ancient in origin, with the symbol of the Shiba clan on the lid.

Tyson removed the lid and revealed the contents; inside lay what seemed to be a Ranger elemental disk, very similar to his own. This disk, however, was orange, not red, and had strange symbols on it that looked like claws, or maybe horns.

Tyson held it up to the light, a determined expression on his face, tinged with apprehension. "At last," he said quietly to himself. "The first Ronin Spirit has been recovered..."

**Later that day, at WildFunLand...**

"This place is great!' Karen said excitedly, munching on a stick of cotton candy, as she and the others wandered around, looking at the various rides and stalls. "It's a pity Tyson couldn't come though..."

"I'm glad he didn't," Chad replied, eying some of the shooting games, his fingers twitching, deciding whether it was worth it. "His grim demeanor would have made this a whole less fun."

May glared at him, then turned back to Karen. "He said he was busy, so there's not much we can do," she said.

"He's always busy!" Chad replied, tearing his eyes away from the game. "He's obsessed with his training! Have you ever had a single normal conversation with him?"

"He _is _our leader, Chad," Ryan interrupted. "He's just determined to be a strong one, that's all."

"Being a strong leader isn't all about fighting ability," Chad countered. "I bet he's doing some kind of crazy training as we speak."

**Meanwhile, back at Shiba manor...**

Tyson, dressed in his kendo robes, drew his Ranger katana from his morpher, and clipped the strange orange disk to the hilt. He then span it, and flames circled up the blade and flowed into the air, far more than from a normal disk.

Tyson swung the sword around his head, fire spiraling about him, then brought it slashing down. The blade and the orange disk began to glow bright with elemental energy.

But something was wrong; the katana was shaking in Tyson's grasp, and his face was screwed up in concentration, sweat pouring from his forehead.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash and he was flung backwards, the sword spinning from his hands to fall on the ground.

Hikoma, who was watching nearby, picked up the katana, the orange disk still clipped to the hilt. "That's not enough, I'm afraid, Lord Tyson." he said sadly. "To use this Ronin Disk, you would require double the elemental energy you currently possess. With your level of training, you will take a long time to reach that."

Tyson climbed to his feet, bruised slightly from the fall. "Well then, I'll just have to train even harder," he replied angrily. "I must master the powers of this disk. The Ayakashi that Doukoku is sending are getting tougher. We'll need all the power we can get."

Hikoma frowned as Tyson took the katana from him. "This is why you didn't go with the others to the amusement park? To stay here and train?" he asked. "I admire your dedication, my lord." He then smiled slyly. "But I think that you really did want to go with them, didn't you?"

Tyson started, and shot a quick, awkward look at Hikoma. "N-no," he stammered, "of course not..."

Hikoma grinned at him. "But when you were much younger, you loved to go to WildFunLand," he continued, amused by Tyson's obvious embarrassment. "Every day, you asked 'Can we go again today, Hikoma? Can we?'"

"Did I?" Tyson replied, his face red, reluctant to continue this conversation.

Hikoma laughed at him. "Yes indeed," he said happily. "But the big, fast rides always scared you. You would only ever go on the merry-go-round or the Ferris wheel." He laughed again. "The one time you were brave enough to go in the haunted house, you wet your pants!"

Tyson span to look at him, a look of shock and complete embarrassment on his face. "I-I never did any such thing!" he spluttered, as Hikoma continued to laugh.

"Ah, it sure brings back good memories," the old man finished, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Stop with the embarrassing stories already," Tyson replied, annoyed, by Hikoma thought he saw a flicker of a smile on his face. Then it went back to its usual serious expression. "It's time to continue training."

**Back at WildFunLand...**

The other Rangers were sitting a a table near a cafe, happily eating lunch, when a bright flash of light caught their eye, and people started screaming.

"This doesn't look good," Ryan commented, he and the others looking towards the disturbance, when they heard a deep, sinister, hissing voice.

"_Useless,"_ it said, _"everything is useless."_ And then, from the crowd of running people emerged a creature that could only be another Ayakashi.

This one did not look too dangerous; it was bright green and blob-like, with long, fluffy, red objects hanging from it. In fact it looked quite amusing.

Until, that is, it pulled out a giant mini-gun and started shooting away at everything in sight.

"So much for a day off..." Chad muttered, as they jumped to their feet and ran towards the Ayakashi, pulling out their morphers as they went.

The Ayakashi, whose name incidentally was Yanasudare, continued to shoot away, all the while hissing "Useless, useless, useless!" He turned his gun on a group of fleeing people and fired, only for the bullets to be deflected when Ryan and Chad, both already morphed, jumped in the way, their katanas moving fast enough to stop the bullets' progress.

"Rangers," the monster snarled, as May and Karen, also morphed, arrived, hurrying the civilians out of harm's way. "Anything you do is also useless."

"We'll see about that!" Chad yelled, and, running at the Ayakashi, swung his blade.

Yanasudare made no attempt to dodge, and it looked like the katana would hit, and it did – but it passed right through the monster's body as if it wasn't even there.

"Wha-?" Chad cried, his blade meeting no resistance, and his momentum sending him flying. Yanasudare swung his gun barrel into Chad's chest, slamming him back towards the others.

"Chad, are you okay?" May asked him as he picked himself up.

"Yeah, I'm fine I guess," Chad replied. "But I don't know why my blade had no effect..."

"Let us try!" Ryan said, and he, May and Karen charged at the monster and swung their blades. Once again, the blades went right through, do no damage at all.

The Ayakashi grinned evilly. "You're all useless!" He hissed, swinging his gun around and fired away, the bullets slamming into them. The Ranger suits protected them from most of the damage, but they were knocked over.

"Blast it, it didn't work!" Ryan said, pounding his fist into the ground.

"Let's try it from all four sides!" Chad suggested. They ran at the monster, and Chad and Ryan flipped over his head. The Ayakashi now surrounded, they swung away – with the same results.

Yanasudare, unharmed, sneered at them. "You idiots just don't get it, do you? Your attacks are useless!" He smashed them away with a swing of his gun, then blasted them again with a spray of bullets. "You useless idiots should just disappear already!"

The Rangers collapsed on the ground, bruised and battered by the constant hits of the bullets. "And now, to finish you!" the monster cackled, pointing his gun at them.

"That's my line!" a voice yelled, and the Ayakashi turned to see a morphed Tyson leaping at him, sword held high. He swung down with the blade, but, of course, the sword did nothing, leaving a very confused Red Ranger lying at the feet of the monster.

"Not even Tyson can damage him?" Karen wondered aloud as she and the others picked themselves up.

Tyson stood, planning to swing again, but found his view blocked by the end of Yanasudare's mini-gun. _"Useless," _the monster hissed, and pulled the trigger.

It was only a perfectly-timed back-flip that saved Tyson's life. His head fell back and his legs came up, knocking the gun away and sending the Ayakashi stumbling backwards.

The other Rangers ran forward to where Tyson stood. "You okay, Tyson?" Ryan asked, but Tyson did not reply, pulling his elemental disk from his belt buckle.

"Use your Elemental Blade, everyone at the same time" he said to the others. "That should do it."

"Right!" the others answered, spinning the disks on their katanas.

"**Five-Sword Elemental Blade, Maximum Power!" **they yelled in unison, charging at the monster. **"Prismatic Strike!"**

All five katanas, each powered with their Ranger's element, slammed into the Ayakashi at once, and finally they seemed to hit him. Yanasudare looked unharmed at first, but then his stomach began to spark and smoke.

The monster snarled in anger, and the damage seemed to go away, the sparking and smoking stopping. "Even that level of attack is useless against me!" he sneered, leveling his gun at them and blasting away, Tyson only just managing to summon his Fire Buster Sword in time to protect them. "None of your attacks will work on me! They're all useless!"

Shielded behind Tyson's massive sword, the other Rangers heard him say to himself, "Well, in that case..." His free hand twitched, seeming hesitant about something, then reached into his belt buckle to pull out the strange orange disk. Of course, none of the other Rangers had seen this disk before, and watched curiously as Tyson moved to connect the disk onto a flat, circular section of the buster sword, not far from the hilt.

But before he connected it, he stopped, and the others could his his heavy breathing. He seemed to be trying to build himself up to something, as if not sure what he was about to do would work.

Then the bullets suddenly stopped. The Rangers looked out from behind the giant sword to see that the Ayakashi's body was drying out. "Curse you, Rangers," he hissed at him. "You made me use up all the water in my body! What an utterly useless characteristic of mine!"

He began to back away, towards the crevice from where he entered. "I'll be back, Rangers," he snarled. "And next time, I'll take your useless lives!" He then squeezed between the tiny gap between two stalls and vanished.

May, Chad, Ryan and Karen collapsed to their knees, relieved that the monster had gone. Tyson, however, remained standing, staring at the orange disk in his hand, his expression unreadable behind his visor.

**Later, back at Shiba manor...**

Chad slammed his fist into a wall, he and the other Rangers, as well as Graydon and Hikoma, in the main room. "What are we going to do?" he said angrily. "That Ayakashi will undoubtedly be back, and we have no way to beat him!"

"I don't understand, our attacks had no effect on him whatsoever," May agreed. "Even the Elemental Blades didn't stop him."

"We're lucky he ran out of water," Ryan commented, gulping. "If he hadn't, we would have been goners."

Karen said nothing, but she was clearly badly shaken by the ordeal, sitting with he back to the wall, arms wrapped round her knees, hiding her face.

"You shouldn't think like that," Hikoma said to them. "Fear is the greatest enemy there is. If you lose confidence in yourselves, even and easy opponent can beat you."

"Yeah, but that guy was seriously tough," Chad retorted. "Even with confidence in ourselves, we simply don't have the power to beat him."

"You do have the power," Graydon said suddenly, and everyone turned to looked at him, Karen raising her head for the first time. He nodded at Tyson. "Tyson, I think it's time you told them."

Tyson hesitated, then nodded. "The Elemental Blades did do some damage," he explained. "But their was not enough elemental energy in the blow to completely finish him. So all we need is more energy." Saying so, he pulled the orange disk from his pocket and showed it to them.

"That's that disk you had earlier, wasn't it?" Ryan said, staring at it.

"Yes," Tyson replied. "This is a Ronin Spirit Disk."

"Ronin?" Karen asked. "What does that mean?"

"'Ronin' is a Japanese phrase for a samurai without a master to serve," Graydon explained. "A Ronin Spirit is essentially a wild animal spirit that is yet to be tamed."

"You see," Tyson continued, "in the battle with Lord Doukoku 3000 years ago, our ancestors didn't just use the Origami Spirits in your talismans, they also used numerous other animal spirits to fight alongside them. They sealed them inside elemental disks to control them. The Ronin Spirits power greatly enhanced their user's elemental energy."

"When the battle with Lord Doukoku finished, the Ronin Spirits were released back into nature, but the Shiba family kept their disks, in case they were ever needed again," Graydon added. "Since then, the spirits have returned to their wild states, and are therefore difficult to find and control. I only managed to find this one by hacking into the Google Earth satellites, and Tyson managed to seal it back into its disk."

"What kind of animal spirit is it?" May asked curiously.

"It is the Kabuto, or Beetle Spirit," Tyson replied.

"You mean it's a bug?" May said, recoiling. "I hate bugs..."

"So if it's in its disk, you can control it right?" Chad asked. "Then why didn't you use it in the fight?"

Tyson shook his head sadly. "I used an ancient spell handed down through the Shiba family to seal the Spirit back inside its disk, but it does not yet recognize me as its master. Once I do master it, the vast increase in elemental energy will allow us to defeat the Ayakashi."

"That's great!" May began happily, but Hikoma held up a hand to silence her.

"There is a problem, though," he said. "Lord Tyson does not yet possess sufficient elemental energy to fully control and master the Kabuto Ronin Spirit. I estimate that he will need to double his current energy level."

"_Double?" _Chad cried. "Is that even possible?"

"With intense training, yes," Tyson replied. "I must train even harder than I already am."

"But we don't have much time," Ryan argued. "That Ayakashi's healing up right now. It'll be back tomorrow, I'm sure. You'll never be able to _double _your energy by then!"

Tyson glared at him. "I have no choice," he snapped. "This is the only way to defeat that Ayakashi. Beside," he added, as he turned to leave the room, "if my ancestors could do it, so can I."

Karen watched him leave the room, concern showing on her face. "I sure hope he knows what he's getting himself into."

"C'mon, this is Tyson we're talking about here," Graydon reassured her, opening yet another box of takeaway sushi as he spoke. "He'll be able to do it, trust me."

"I'm just worried about him," Karen replied. "Back in the battle, he seemed... hesitant. Unsure of himself..."

Outside the room, Tyson's calm expression disappeared, to be replaced by one of worry. "I will do it! I can do it!" he said quietly, determined, then a little worm of doubt escaped. "...can I?"

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

Yanasudare sighed as he sat on the deck of the Rokumon, Shitari pouring water from the Sanzu River onto his skin. "How's that?" the squid-headed warlock asked him. "All wet again?"

The Ayakashi nodded, then sighed again. "This is useless," he muttered, "absolutely useless."

"Now now, don't say that," Shitari replied. "We can't live without the water in the River. It's inconvenient, but..."

"Ignore him," Tayu said to him, playing her shamisen as she spoke. "Everything is 'useless' to him, probably even his own life, am I right?"

"Maybe," Yanasudare replied, "But not as useless as yours."

An ugly sound came from the shamisen as Tayu missed a note, her hand twitching in anger. "What did you say?" she hissed, her voice dripping with hatred. She and the Ayakashi stood, as if about to fight, but at that moment, Lord Doukoku stepped out onto the deck.

"Will you two cut it out?" he roared at them. He then glared at Tayu. "You really don't get along with Ayakashi, do you?" he said to her. Tayu made a noise of contempt and stalked off.

"Yanasudare," Doukoku then said, turning to the monster, "your big mouth is the useless thing here." His expression then turned to one of absolute hatred. "Eliminate those Rangers. I'm counting on you."

**That night, back at the Shiba manor...**

Being designed in Japanese style, the manor had a large shrine built out the back, which, during ceremonies held there, was lit by many flaming torches. It was usually dark at night, but tonight every torch in the shrine was lit, and several other small fires had been lit in the courtyard out the front of it.

Hikoma, at first unsure of what was going on, had gone to investigate, but as he looked, he saw Tyson, still hard at his training.

Wielding his massive Buster Sword, he had clipped the Kabuto Disk to the circular connector on the blade. As he focused, he shouted and span the disk, which channeled fire down the blade. He focused harder, and Hikoma started to see elemental energy being drained from the fires around him, the fires flickering and going low as the blade drew in more energy.

But it was not enough. The disk sparked, and a shock wave blasted forth, knocking Tyson off his feet, casing him to land hard on the ground, the sword landing nearby.

"Not enough," Hikoma heard Tyson mutter as he picked himself up, his face badly bruised from the fall. "It's still not enough energy to master him." He limped over to the sword, picked it up and trying again, drawing even more energy from the nearby fires.

The flames grew along the blade and spiraled around it, but it was still not enough. Tyson was sent flying once more, crashing into the ground.

Hikoma made a move, as if he was going to run over to Tyson, to check if he was alright, but Tyson managed to climb to his feet, and Hikoma stopped himself.

_Doubling your elemental energy is possible, _he thought as Tyson picked up the sword yet again, _but is something that must be done yourself. No-one can help you increase it, you are the only one who can do it. Tyson is smart, using the Buster Sword to pull in energy from fires, supplementing his own energy, and slowly increasing his own energy reserves. But will it be enough to double his energy level overnight?_

Hikoma watched as Tyson was once more blasted off his feet. _If he can't, the Rangers will be in serious trouble. But he will fight anyway, to protect his friends until the very end. _Hikoma then smiled proudly. _Even if he is defeated, he will go down fighting, like a true Power Ranger!_

Tyson picked himself up once more, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "I need more energy," he growled. "I will not give up! I will master the Kabuto Disk!"

**The next morning...**

"Useless, useless, this whole world is useless!" Yanasudare roared as he stormed through Tovern City, blasting away with his gun. He watched as people ran screaming. "And crying for help is also useless, no-one can stop me!"

"That's far enough, Ayakashi!" Ryan yelled as he, Karen, Chad and May arrived on the scene.

"Rangers!" the monster sneered. "As I promised last time, today I will take your useless lives!"

"Don't count on it!" Chad yelled, and together they whipped out their morphers and drew their kanji symbols in the air.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they yelled, and with a rainbow flash and an inexplicable explosion, they morphed into the Strike Rangers.

"Let's go!" Ryan shouted, and the four of they charged at the Ayakashi.

**Meanwhile, back at the Shiba manor...**

Hikoma had returned to the shrine to fetch Tyson, and was shocked to find him lying on the ground, unconscious and badly bruised and battered.

"Lord Tyson!" he yelled, running over to him. _With these injuries, he should not fight, _he thought to himself. But then he saw something that made his heart leap; Tyson's hand still gripped the handle of the massive Buster Sword. The blade had not rejected him this time. Could he have finally mastered it...?

Hikoma used what healing spells he knew to fix some of the less serious bruises and cuts, and then shook Tyson awake. "My lord, the Ayakashi has returned! The Rangers need your help!"

Tyson opened his eyes slowly to stare at Hikoma. "Okay," he said quietly, and he picked himself up, supporting himself with the sword. "Time to fight him once more."

"My lord, are you sure you are well enough to fight?" Hikoma asked him.

Tyson smiled at him, the effect ruined slightly by him staggering a bit. "I'm fine, really," he replied. "Once I morph I'll be fine." H then began walking towards the house. "Well, I'm going."

**Back at Tovern City...**

Ryan was blasted out of the air as, Water Bow ready, he leaped at the Ayakashi. He crashed to the ground near where the others were struggling to their feet. Yanasudare ran forward and shoved the barrel of his gun in Ryan's face. "This time, you'll die for sure!" he hissed with glee.

But before he could pull the trigger, Tyson's talisman in its lion form flew in and smashed the gun away, sending the monster flying. The Rangers turned to see Tyson, bruised but standing, his morpher in hand. "You're the one who'll die, Ayakashi!" he yelled.

"I was wondering where you had got to," Yanasudare replied. "I thought you had run away. So, you have returned just to die? How useless..."

Tyson ignored him, and drew his kanji shape in the air. **"SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **he yelled, and morphed into the Red Ranger.

He drew his katana, and spun the black disk on it. **"Bushido Super Weapon! Fire Buster Sword!" **he yelled, and his massive blade came forth.

Yanasudare grinned evilly. "Your fighting is useless, but I accept. I will fight you!"

They both stood still, Yanasudare with his gun at the ready, Tyson with his sword resting on his shoulder. The other Rangers watched with baited breath, waiting to see what happened.

After a few silent moments, the Ayakashi lowered his gun. "Well?" he asked impatiently. "Aren't you going to attack?"

Tyson sighed, then reached into his belt buckle for the Kabuto Disk, but hesitated.

"Something's wrong," May said. "He's still too unsure..."

"Hey!" the monster shouted angrily. "I thought you said you were going to try to kill me!"

"Tyson, hurry up already!" Chad yelled at him.

"I've had enough of this!" Yanasudare finally roared, leveling his gun at the Rangers.

At that moment, Tyson seemed to make up his mind. Nodding, he seized the disk in his belt and slapped it onto the circular connector. Focusing, he yelled with rage, and masses of flames spiraled up the blade. He swung the blade twice round his head, then swung it down in front of him. The blade and disk began to glow with an orange light, and Tyson focused all the harder, focusing all his power to make it work. And, finally, it did!

The handle flipped downwards, and another handle sprouted from the side of the blade, so Tyson now held it like some kind of massive, oddly-shape gun. The top edge of the sword folded open to reveal a slot running the length of the blade, into which something was evidently supposed to go.

"**Ronin Disk Activated!" **Tyson yelled. **"Fire Buster Sword, Kabuto Bazooka Mode!"**

The other Rangers stared in awe. "A Bazooka?" May said. "That's..."

"Totally awesome!" Chad interrupted.

"_I_ was going to say 'ridiculous'," May muttered.

"Everyone!" Tyson yelled at them. "Give me your elemental disks!" He inserted his own into the slot on the blade, and the others quickly followed suit.

"What the hell is that thing?" Yanasudare said, confused.

"**Kabuto Five-Disk Elemental Blast!" **Tyson shouted, and pulled the trigger. The disks fired forth, combining into a giant sphere of shining light.

"Ha! You attack is useless-" was all the Ayakashi was able to utter before the blast slammed into him, ripping straight through him. "No!" he yelled as he began to spark all over. "That's not possible!" And then, finally, he exploded.

"Yes, we got him!" Chad cheered. "First life beaten!"

As Tyson lowered his blade, looking at the Kabuto Disk, Yanasudare's gigantic second life erupted. "You useless fools!" he roared. "I'll destroy you all!"

As one the Rangers pulled out their talismans **"Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they yelled, and the Zords expanded out, the Rangers teleporting inside.

The Zords, at Tyson's command, then flew together, connecting up. **"Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!" **he shouted.

The Megazord drew its massive sword, and swung it at the Ayakashi. But the blade went straight through, not damaging at all.

"You fools!" Yanasudare sneered, pointing his gun in the Megazord's face. "Even in my second life, katanas are useless against me!" He blasted away, sending the Megazord staggering back.

"This is bad!" Chad said. "The only weapon the Megazord has is its katana!"

"Don't worry," Tyson said, pulling out the orange disk once more. "This is where the true power of the Kabuto Ronin Disk comes into play!"

He withdrew his sword from the control panel and teleported outside, onto the Megazord's shoulder. He then clipped the Kabuto Disk to the hilt of his katana, and spun it. Flames shot up the blade, circling up into the air around him.

"**Kabuto Ronin Spirit, Come Forth!" **he yelled.** "Zord Mode!"**

And from the flames the Kabuto Zord burst forth; a giant orange rhinoceros beetle, with massive horns that opened and closed like pincers.

"That's incredible!" Chad said to the others.

"The Kabuto Spirit became another Zord!" Karen cried excitedly.

Tyson teleported inside the new Zord, and inserted his katana in the control panel. "Kabuto Zord, move out!" he shouted, and the Kabuto stormed towards the monster. Yanasudare tried to shoot it, but the beetle's hard armor held against the bullets. Its horns grabbed onto the Ayakashi's legs, and, with a twist of its head, sent the monster crashing to the ground.

"And now, the real battle begins!" Tyson said, spinning the Kabuto disk. **"Kabuto Zord! Initiate Megazord Armament Form!"**

The Kabuto Zord flew into the air, and its legs detached from its body, connecting to the Megazord's arms like armor. The head and body, however, landed on the Megazord's head, covering it, then the lower horn split in half, revealing the Megazord's face, making it look like a massive ornate samurai helmet.

"**Armament Complete!" **Tyson shouted, teleporting back the the main control room. **"KabutoStrike Megazord!"**

"What is this?" Yanasudare yelled, staring at the new Megazord. "Some useless new upgrade? I hate it!" He fired away with his gun at the Megazord.

"You're not the only one with a gun now, Ayakashi!" Tyson yelled back. **"Kabuto Laser, Fire!"**

Beams of light blasted forth from the Megazord's helmet, vaporizing the bullets in mid-air and smashing the gun from the Ayakashi's hand.

"And now, to finish you!" Tyson said, spinning the Ronin Disk once more. The Kabuto's lower horn closed again, and its head began to spin around, faster and faster.

"**Kabuto Finishing Strike!" **the Rangers yelled. **"Ultimate Revolving Cannon!"**

The quickly spinning cannon pulled in energy from all around it, glowed with a brilliant orange light, and blasted forth a massive energy ball that smashed into Yanasudare.

"No!" the Ayakashi yelled and he sparked and smoked. "I'm... so... _USELESS!_" And saying so, he collapsed and exploded, finally defeated.

"Samurai Strike, mission complete!" the Rangers cheered. Tyson unclipped the Kabuto Disk from his katana and stared at it, and even through his visor, you could tell he was smiling.

**Shortly after, back at the Shiba manor...**

"You did it, Tyson, you did it!" Hikoma said happily as the Rangers returned. "You master the Kabuto Spirit!"

Tyson raised his eyebrow at him, "What, no 'Lord' on my name?" he asked in mock seriousness.

A look of horror shot across Hikoma's face, and he quickly bowed low on one knee. "I am terribly sorry, my Lord Tyson!" he said. "Please forgive me for my mistake!"

Tyson smiled, and then, for the first time anyone could remember, actually laughed. "Oh, get up, Hikoma, I was only kidding."

"Seriously, though, well done you guys," Graydon congratulated them. "That was really impressive." He then turned to Tyson. "I've started scanning to locate the other Ronin Spirits. No luck so far, but if you let me scan the Kabuto Disk, I should be able to use the data to make the search easier."

"Sure, no problem," Tyson replied, handing him the orange disk. Graydon took it, and hurried upstairs.

"So, Tyson," Karen then said to Tyson. "Since our day off was interrupted yesterday, do you want to come to WildFunLand with us?"

"No thanks," Tyson replied, and for the first time they noticed that he looked extremely tired. "I would like to go, but I badly need to catch up on some sleep."

"I guess you were up all night training," May said reasonably. Tyson smiled, then slowly climbed upstairs as well.

"So!" Chad said to the others. 'Anyone want to hit the arcade with me?"

"I thought we were going back to WildFunLand?" Karen replied.

"We went there yesterday!" Chad argued. "I want to go to the arcade today!"

"I need to do some shopping, so I can't go either," May added. "Sorry."

Karen turned desperately to Ryan who smiled. "I'll go with you. Hikoma, do you want to come?"

Hikoma looked rather startled at being asked, then smiled. "Of course, Lord Ikenami, I would be pleased to accompany you and Lady Hanaori to the amusement park." He then smiled. "But if either of you wet your pants in the haunted house, I've leaving you there!"

**END CHAPTER SEVEN... but wait, there's more!**

Graydon, up in his room, sat back in his chair as the digital camera finished scanning the Kabuto disk. "Alpha, have you got any usable data off this thing?" he said, apparently to no-one.

A screen flicked on, showing the image of a red, shiny robot, with a flat, disk-like head with lights along the rim for eyes, and a lightning bolt shape on his chest. Alpha was an AI that Graydon had programmed himself, designed to look and sound like Alpha 5, Zordon's trusty assistant from the original Power Ranger days – though fortunately without all the annoying "Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai!" nonsense.

"I have received some data, Graydon," the AI replied. "Using it, I have refined my search for the remaining Ronin Spirits, so I can now look for their energy signature as well."

"Good," Graydon said. "Does the data help with the other projects?"

Alpha nodded. "The data received allows me limited access to the Morphing Grid," the robot said. "With sufficient tweaking, your experimental teleporter should be up and running in a few days – but it will only work for those with morphers, I'm afraid."

Graydon sighed. "Okay, that's good," he replied, "but what about my _other _project?"

Alpha hesitated, then shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid there is simply not enough data in this disk to allow your _other _project to fully function yet," he said dejectedly. "If we recover the others, though, it may just work."

"Okay then," Graydon decided. "devote all your run-time to finding those other Ronin Spirits. We'll need them, for battle, and my _other _project."

"Yes, sir!" Alpha saluted, and his screen changed to show the map of the Earth with the scanning reticule moving back and forth once again.

Graydon sighed again and rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and then glanced at the glass box in the corner on the room, in which the device the machines were building was slowly taking form...

_**NOW **_**END CHAPTER SEVEN**

Ooh, plot development! Spooky! Will the Rangers find the remaining Ronin Spirits? What is this _other _project Graydon is working on? Look forward to next chapter to find out!

I've been watch Mighty Mophin' again recently, and felt nostalgic (and plus I needed a name for Graydon's AI) so I decided to bring Alpha back! Woo!

As always, I appreciate any reviews. Haven't got any for last chapter yet, so I'm not sure if anyone likes it! :) Also, any questions about Samurai Strike you want answered (and I bet there will be a few thanks to this new development!) feel free to ask them, I'll answer them at the beginning of next chapter!

Until next time, may the Power protect you!


	8. Chapter 8: Sticks and Stones

I DO NOT own Power Rangers or Super Sentai.

Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait. I've been doing some major re-tooling of upcoming plots, so I've had trouble finishing this chapter, but don't worry; after this the chapters should be released far more often.

So, sit back, and enjoy!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 8: Sticks and Stones_

**Shiba Manor, morning...**

The Rangers were once again practising kendo, under the supervision of Graydon. Ryan had been paired up with May, and Karen, who was easily the best, was facing Chad, who was slowly improving. Tyson and Hikoma sat on the back porch nearby, Tyson quietly meditating, Hikoma watching the others with interest.

As he watched, Karen delivered a combination of confusing moves which pushed Chad back, finally ending with a thrust which jabbed him in the stomach, causing him to trip over and land hard on a rock behind him.

"Ow! That hurt!" Chad yelled as he clambered to his feet, wincing from the bruises on both his behind and his stomach.

"Sorry!" Karen replied, helping him up. "I guess I got a bit too serious there..."

Hikoma glanced at Tyson. "Karen's sword technique is impressive," he commented. "Excellent skill, with no hesitation."

Tyson opened his eyes. "It's no surprise that he is no match for her, then," he murmured in reply, loud enough for Chad to hear him. Chad glared at him in return, then had to shake off Karen, who was prodding at him, trying to she if she had hurt him.

"I'm fine, Karen, cut it out!" he said to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked anxiously, an expression of worry on her young face. "Maybe I should take a look at it, just to be sure..."

"No, quit it!" Chad replied, struggling to run off, as Karen clung to the back of his kendo robe.

Hikoma smiled as he watched them walk off. "It seems, though, that Karen still has much to learn about other things," he said to Tyson. "Martial arts seems to be the only thing she's good at."

"That's true, I guess," Tyson replied, closing his eyes again.

**Later that morning...**

"Here you go, Chad!" Karen said happily, holding out a bandage the size of a sheet of paper, coated in white goo.

"Um, thanks..." Chad replied, not taking it. "What is it?"

"It's a flour compress," Karen explained. "My sister taught me how to make them. They help heal bruises. You can put it on your bruised bottom-"

"N-no thanks!" Chad stammered, quickly backing away, then running as Karen followed him.

"But it won't heal quickly if you don't use it!" she called after him as Ryan and May looked around to see what was happening.

"I'll take that risk!" Chad yelled back, as he turned and ran back the other way, dodging around her.

"But – ahh!" Karen's reply was cut off as she tripped over the bowl of flour goo she had used for the compress, spilling it everywhere. She fell forwards onto the floor, and her face landed in the compress, splattering her with the goo.

"Oh, no!" she said, getting up, looking at the ruined compress, and the large puddle of flour goo on the floor.

"Isn't that way too much for a compress?" Ryan asked, staring at the mess.

"I couldn't remember how much it needed," Karen mumbled sadly, "so I made a lot, just in case."

"I said I was fine!" Chad said to her, holding up the dripping compress. "I really don't need this thing!"

"Hey, that's not very nice, Chad!" May scolded him. "Karen was just worried about you!"

"No, it's okay," Karen said to her, smiling sadly with her white-coated face. "I was stupid; the compress probably wouldn't have worked anyway." She looked at the puddle. "I'd better get a mop to clean this up."

Saying so, she stood up, and then accidentally stepped in the puddle, causing her to slip and crash to the floor once more.

"Karen, are you alright?" May asked as she sat up.

Karen nodded. "I'm just such a klutz," she replied, with that sad smile again. Chad looked on, a concerned expression on his face.

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

Shitari looked over the rail of the Rokumon as an Ayakashi's hand appeared. "Ah, I've been waiting for you, Zuboshimeshi!" he said to the creature.

Zuboshimeshi was a typically nasty-looking monster. He was wearing a shell-like suit of armor, and spines stuck out all over the place. But it was his face that was particularly hideous; his abnormally large mouth was stretched into a horrible grin, and a third eye gleamed on his forehead.

"Long time no see!" he said in a high-pitched voice, a pattern of three eye-like symbols on his back lighting up. "As usual, Shitari, you are-"

Before the Ayakashi could finish, Shitari clapped his hand over the monster's large mouth. "Don't say it!" he hissed. "You mouth is the source of calamity!"

He took his hand off Zuboshimeshi's mouth and pointed at a crevice entrance on the bank of the Sanzu River. "Just go over to the human world already," he directed. "Say whatever you want over there."

"Of course, that's my plan," Zuboshimeshi replied, "but as always, you-"

"I said don't talk!" Shitari shouted, blocking the monster's mouth again. "You know the damage your words can cause! Now go, cause those humans to despair, and flood the Sanzu River with their sorrow!"

"Okay, okay!" the Ayakashi replied, speaking around Shitari's hand.

**Back at the Shiba Manor...**

Karen was standing in the kitchen. She had managed to wash off all the flowery goo, and was drying her face when she heard Chad behind her.

"Did you clean all that off yet?" he asked, walking towards her, carrying a bucket of water and a cleaning cloth.

Karen nodded in reply. "Yes. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to clean."

Chad indicated her clothes. "You might want to change, though," he suggested. "You're all wet."

With dismay, Karen looked down, and, sure enough, her clothes were drenched, from both the goo and water from the sink. "Oh, no!" she moaned. "These will take forever to rinse out!" She then noticed the bucket and cloth in Chad's hands. "Did you clean up the leftover goo I spilt?" she asked, feeling guilty.

"Yeah," Chad replied, emptying the bucket into the sink. Seeing the sad look on the girl's face, he quickly added "Don't worry, it was easy; some of Tyson's household staff helped me out."

"Sorry," Karen said to him. "It's all my fault this happened."

"Stop apologising," Chad said, dismissing this with a wave of his hand. "Besides, none of this would have happened if I hadn't lost to you."

"See? It _is _my fault!" Karen retorted. She shook her head sadly. "I'm useless; the only thing I'm good at is kendo." She then smiled wistfully. "I wish I was like May; she's so smart and beautiful. She can even cook!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about the cooking part..." Chad muttered, staring at the scorch marks on the ceiling and shuddering.

"Still," Karen continued, "compared to her, I'm just pathetic and stupid."

"Don't say that!" Chad snapped, surprising her. "You're talented in your own way!"

Before he could continue, the alarm bells began to ring out. Karen and Chad glanced at each other, then raced out the kitchen door to find the others.

**Meanwhile, in a Tovern City construction site...**

Several construction workers were busily moving about, transporting poles and wooden boards here and there. One overweight man stopped to take a break, mopping his brow with a handkerchief, when suddenly he heard a crackling noise behind him.

"Hey, you," a voice hissed, and the man turned. There stood Zuboshimeshi; the man froze in fear.

The sinister Ayakashi sneered, and his eye-like symbols glowed. _"FAT!" _he intoned, in an eerie, echoing voice.

The man's face fell, sadness etched all over his features... and was then violently blasted backwards in an explosion of purple electricity.

The monster grinned, and turned to see the other construction workers running. A policeman who had been walking past, however, started towards the monster, drawing his gun as he went.

Zuboshimeshi's eyes glowed again. _"I SAW WHAT YOU DID," _he echoed again, _"YOU LOWLY MAN!"_ Again, the Ayakashi's words caused an explosion, sending the policeman flying.

The vile monster continued his rampage across the city, blasting away with insults and taunts, sending people fleeing.

"_VAIN!" _it roared at it went. _"PERVERT! MINIMUM-WAGER! LONER! GOOD-FOR-NOTHING! DISLOYAL!"_

Cars swerved and crashed into one another as their drivers were blasted, and Zuboshimeshi continued on, cackling to himself.

But then, Tyson, already morphed, leapt at the monster swinging his sword as he went. The Ayakashi narrowly dodged the swing, and turned as the other Rangers arrived. "I was having so much fun until you showed up," he sneered at them.

"Shut your mouth and take what's coming to you!" Chad yelled, racing at the monster, katana held high.

But suddenly, the monster was right in front of him, moving with incredible speed. Chad was thrown off-balance by his sudden appearance, and Zuboshimeshi struck.

"_I SAW YOU!" _he echoed._"YOU CHEATER!"_

Chad stopped dead in his tracks. _H-how does he know-? _was all he was able to think before he was catapulted backwards by the blast, smashing into a building.

"Chad!" Karen yelled, running towards him as he struggled to rise, rubble from the wall dropping on top of him. "Are you okay?"

"What was that?" May said, staring at Chad, before turning back to the monster. "What did you do to him?" she shouted at him.

"This!" Zuboshimeshi replied, and with his amazing speed suddenly appeared before Ryan. _"DISSAPOINTMENT TO YOUR FATHER!" _he bellowed, and Ryan, shocked rigid, was blasted backwards as well, to join Chad and Karen in the rubble.

"Ryan!" May yelled, then, enraged, struck at the monster. He easily dodged around her attacks, then got in close, his face right in hers.

"_SINGLE FOR LIFE!" _he roared, and May froze.

"N-No..." she whispered, and the purple electricity launched forth once more, sending her flying back to land near the others.

Only Karen and Tyson now remained. Karen glanced at the others on the ground. "How is this possible?" she asked Tyson. "All he's doing is insulting them!"

"Don't let your guard down," Tyson replied, drawing his elemental disk from his belt. "There must be some trick to his attacks."

"Trick?" Zuboshimeshi said, overhearing them. "No such thing; I merely tell the truth. If the truth hurts you, that's your fault."

Saying so, he launched himself at Tyson and knocked aside his blade. _"DOOMED TO FAIL!"_ he roared, right in Tyson's face.

Purple lighting shot across Tyson's armor, but he held his ground, only barely. The Ayakashi sneered, and opened his mouth once more, his eyes glowing brighter than ever before. _"DOOMED TO LET ALL YOUR FRIENDS FAIL! DOOMED TO FAIL YOUR FAMILY!" _he screeched.

This last sentence did the trick; Unable to withstand the barrage of taunts, which struck to his very soul, Tyson could no longer resist, and was thrown back harder than any of the others.

Standing alone, Karen faced the monster. "Only one left?" he cackled, as she trembled with rage. "This should be easy!"

Karen snapped. "Everything you say is nonsense!" she screamed, rushing at him, swinging away madly. "Chad is not a cheat! Ryan is not a disappointment! May won't stay single! Tyson will not fail!"

"If it's all nonsense, then why does it hurt them?" Zuboshimeshi said, dodging her attacks. His eyes glowed. "Try it for yourself... _KLUTZ!"_

Amazingly, this had no effect, and Karen's blade finally struck, smashing into the monster's face. The Ayakashi looked genuinely surprised as her blows continued to land. "How is this possible?" he hissed.

Trying again he turned to face her. _"IDIOT!" _he spat, but, once again, Karen's sword hit true. Reeling from the continued blows, he span and tried again.

"_USELESS!" _he yelled, but still, Karen continued on slashing.

"_STUPID...?" _he tried, getting desperate, but still nothing.

"How is she doing that...?" Chad asked in awe, slowly picking himself up.

"Why won't you stop?" Zuboshimeshi hissed. "You _SLOW, DUMB MORON!"_

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Earth Slicer!" **Karen yelled in rage, summoning her giant shuriken to her side.

"Uh, oh," Zuboshimeshi gulped, as Karen flung her slicer right at him, landing a direct hit on his torso.

The young Ranger nodded in satisfaction as the Ayakashi scrambled to his feet. "This can't be!" he hissed, and saying so, he leapt through a crevice in the cracked footpath and disappeared back to the Sanzu River. Karen looked on, breathing heavily, her expression hidden behind her visor.

**Later, back at the Shiba Manor...**

"Truly an onslaught of words," Hikoma mused, as the Rangers patched themselves up from the battle, Graydon sitting nearby, typing away on his laptop. "The mental damage becomes physical damage. As long a you keep a calm presence of mind, though, you should not be hurt again."

"I was merely caught off-guard," May muttered. "It won't happen again."

Chad glanced at her. "Are you really that worried about being single?" he asked, a hint of ridicule in his voice.

May glared back at him. "What about you, _cheater?_" she snapped back.

Chad's face fell, becoming sullen. "It's a shame on my name," he muttered. "Me, the Game Guru, having to cheat on a video game! I feel terrible every time I think about it!"

"Disappointed father," Ryan growled to himself. "_He _was the one who wanted me to quit school to help work at his store! So what if I refused!" He then shook his head. "I still feel kinda bad about it, though."

Tyson sat apart from the others, consumed in his own thoughts. He only showed interest in their conversation when Chad spoke again.

"But... why wasn't Karen affected?" he asked, and the all turned to face her.

"Me?" she asked, surprised and a little embarrassed by the sudden attention.

"Yes, you," Chad pressed. "That Ayakashi spouts words that cause us the most pain, but they had absolutely no effect on you."

"It certainly is unusual," Hikoma commented. "Perhaps Lady Hanaori has some kind of special power that helps her resist..."

"It's no special power," Karen objected, her shoulders slumping. "I'm just... used to it."

"What do you mean?" Chad asked.

Karen smiled sadly, staring at the floor. "Ever since I was little, kids at school would call me 'slow' or 'stupid'," she explained. "It doesn't bother me that the Ayakashi calls me those names... because they're true..." she ended with a weak laugh.

"Don't laugh like that," Chad said to her quietly. Karen turned to face him, and was surprised to see anger in his face. "You always call yourself stupid, and laugh about it," he continued. "But I know you're not really joking at all."

He stood up. "The way you just sit there and agree with every insult thrown your way..." he said, with sadness in his eyes, "...it just annoys me that you think you're stupid." He turned to face her. "If you really think that you're stupid, then maybe you really are stupid!"

"Chad!" May said, shocked. "That's going too far!"

Karen stood, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she said, before fleeing from the room and running outside. Chad watched her go, a guilty weight in his stomach.

**Meanwhile, on the Sanzu River...**

The Rokumon shook violently as Zuboshimeshi let loose another blast, slamming Tayu against the wall.

"What did you say?" she hissed, pulling out her razor-sharp plectrum. "I dare you to say it again!" Saying so, she flung the metal blade, only for Shitari to catch it with his staff.

"Tayu, must you fight with _every _Ayakashi we have on-board?" he asked her.

"My eyes never lie," Zuboshimeshi said. "I can see what words will hurt the most." He then frowned angrily. "But that Yellow Ranger..." he hissed. "How was she not affected, when my words still affect other weaklings?"

Tayu growled, her plectrum at the ready again. "You dare call me weak?" she snapped, and she would have thrown the blade if Lord Doukoku's sheathed sword had not emerged from the shadows to block her hand.

"Enough!" he roared, stepping out from the darkness. "Endure his insults for now, Tayu."

"I will not!" Tayu spat back, struggling against the blade, but stopped as it went to her throat.

"I said enough," Doukoku said, his voice deadly quiet. "Favourite or not, even you..." He drew the blade slightly, showing its wickedly sharp blade. "...can anger me."

Tayu lowered her arm and backed away, her head bowed. Doukoku then turned to Zuboshimeshi.

"The Sanzu River's waters are definitely rising," he said, a note of sinister pleasure in his voice. "Continue your good work, and we will return to the human world in no time!"

"Certainly, my lord," the Ayakashi replied, bowing deeply. "One quick recharge in the River, and I'll be ready to go!" He turned to the rail of the ship and looked out. "No matter who it is, my words will hurt them," he muttered, then his face twisted in utmost contempt. "Even that Yellow Ranger brat will rue the day she crossed me!" Chuckling, he dove into the water, and began to plan...

**Back at the Shiba Manor...**

Chad had searched the manor high and low, but he could not find Karen. He could tell that his words had deeply affected her, and he really wanted to talk to her and explain. But she was nowhere to be seen. He was about to give up, when he heard the soft tune of some flute-like instrument being played.

Following the sound, he went into the forest outside the manor, and after a few minutes walked into a clearing. Sitting on a rock in the middle of the clearing was Karen, playing a wooden flute and staring into the sky, away from where Chad stood.

He slowly walked up behind her. She heard him approach, stopped playing, and turned towards him. When she saw it was Chad, her face became worried. "Oh... it's you..." she said.

There was an awkward pause, the Chad scratched the back of his head exasperatedly. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier," he apologised. "I didn't mean what I said."

Karen shook her head in reply. "No, you were right" she said back.

"Well, yeah, but... I didn't mean to be so..." Chad tried to explain, but Karen smiled at him.

"When I was a kid, I used to cry all the time," she said, looking into the sky again. "I was no good at studying, and all the others used to tease me." She then looked at the flute in her hand and gripped it tight. "But then, my sister would play this flute, and the music was so good, it always cheered me up. No-one could play the flute like Beth did."

Karen's wistful expression, as she remembered her sister, then turned sad. "But then, Beth became very ill. She had to leave school, and could no longer work at our mother's store." Her face then became determined. "I decided, even though I was still young, that I would take Beth's place at the store, helping out however I could. It was tough, and when Beth found out, she asked me to stop, that I didn't need to do it for her. But I kept at it; she had supported me in the past, and I wanted to pay her back."

Karen then pulled out her triangular talisman and stared at it. "It was the same when Graydon left the scroll at the hospital," she continued. "Beth could tell that this was important, and wanted to go herself, sickness or no sickness. But I couldn't let her do that; I had to do it for her. She had helped me, now I would do the same for her, no matter what."

Her story done, she turned back to Chad and smiled. "I knew that I was stupid, so it didn't matter when others called me that," she said. "But, what you said earlier, _if you think that you are stupid, then you really are stupid_, that never occurred to me."

Chad winced with guilt. "I didn't really mean it like that..." he said.

Karen smiled again, looking away. "If I think I am stupid, and I do, then I really am a failure, aren't I?"

"No," Chad said, and she turned back to him. "_I'm_ the stupid one for being so annoyed with you and saying those things. You're so strong, and you always said you were stupid. That just bugged me."

He turned, and placed his hand on a nearby tree. "I decided that I would surpass Tyson, that I would beat him and make him respect me." He then smiled at Karen, and shook his head. "But you're younger than me, and you still defeated me, but then you go and call _yourself_ a failure." He then grinned. "If _you're_ a failure, then what does that make _me?_"

Chad stared at Karen, then they both burst out laughing, the tension between them gone. "Thanks, Chad," Karen said happily. "I really like your straight-forwardness. I'm sure you'll get stronger!"

"Thanks," Chad replied, embarrassed. Then, right on cue, their morphers began to beep. Chad pulled out his and flipped it open. "What is it, Graydon?" he asked.

"_That Ayakashi is back," _Graydon replied, sounding frantic. Chad could hear hurried typing and clattering in the background, and a strange electronic voice reading out figures. _"You'd better get moving!"_

"Uh, okay," Chad said, intrigued by the commotion. "What all that noise?"

"_I think I'm close to locating the next Ronin Spirit," _Graydon said back, the typing getting faster. _"I'm just having trouble with my satellite signal."_

"That's great!" Chad replied. "You'd better get that fixed pronto!"

"_I will!" _Graydon shot back, annoyed, _"now get moving!"_

"Roger that!" Chad said, and, snapping his morpher shut, he and Karen ran towards the city.

**Moments later, at Tovern City University...**

"_CHEATED ON EXAM! NEVER PASS ANYTHING!" _Zuboshimeshi's voice boomed, and students were blasted in every direction as the vile monster strode out the front door.

"It's clear my power still works on the mortals," he muttered to himself, "but why, _why _wasn't that yellow brat affected?"

"Why don't you find out?" Karen's voice yelled, and the Ayakashi turned to see the Rangers standing side-by-side.

"Ayakashi!" Tyson declared, pointing at him. "Your reign of terror ends here!"

He whipped out his morpher, the others doing likewise. Flipping and folding them, they drew their kanji in the air and span them round.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they yelled in unison, and with a whirl of colours and an explosion for good measure, the Rangers morphed.

"Fools," Zuboshimeshi hissed. "Shall I tell you about your true selves again?"

"Don't underestimate us, you monster!" May snapped. "We won't fall for that this time!"

"You got that right!" Ryan agreed. "As lost as we focus our minds, you can beat us!"

The Ayakashi sneered and shot towards him. Before Ryan could react, the monsters eyes glowed.

"_NEVER GOT GOOD GRADES!" _he yelled, and, once again, Ryan was blasted back through a wall.

"Not again..." Tyson sighed, clapping his hand to his visored face.

"I say we plug up his big mouth first!" May suggested, brandishing her sword at the Ayakashi.

"You others stand aside!" Zuboshimeshi bellowed, pointing at Karen. "I've got a score to settle with that yellow brat!" He then looked over his shoulder. "Come forth, Nanashi!" he yelled. "Stop those others from interfering!"

The cracks in the ground behind him glowed, and crevices opened, spewing out hundreds of Nanashi footmen. The horrible creatures swarmed at Tyson, May and Chad.

"**Fire Buster Sword!" **Tyson called out, and his massive blade slashed into the ranks of Nanashi, downing dozens with each swing, but still more rushed forwards.

"**Wind Fan!" **May shouted, swishing away with her giant fan, blasting Nanashi away with gusts of wind, but they just kept coming.

Ryan managed to pull himself out of the wall, shouting **"Water Bow!" **as he went, firing masses of arrows into the oncoming horde.

Chad charged headlong at them, shouted **"Wood Spear!"**, and crashed into the crowd, slamming through Nanashi like paper with his razor-sharp spear point. Clearing a path to Zuboshimeshi, he looked back. "Karen!" he called to her. "Go for it!"

"Right!" Karen replied, charging the Ayakashi with her sword, and the fight began again.

"_IDIOT!". _Crash! _"STUPID!" _Slash! _"FOOL!"_

"That doesn't work on me!" Karen yelled, slamming her blade into his face.

Zuboshimeshi backed away, and Karen followed him. "My words are absolute!" he threatened. "I'll find your weakness eventually!"

His eyes lit up. _"LAUGHING STOCK OF THE SCHOOL!" _he snarled. Karen seemed to hesitate slightly, but kept going.

The Ayakashi tried again. _"DIM-WITTED FAILURE!" _he screamed, but the Yellow Ranger merely attacked once more.

Zuboshimeshi roared in fury. "Why don't my words work?" His eyes glowed even brighter. "Maybe there's something hidden deep..." He paused, the his smiled became truly evil. "Ah, I've got you now!" he cackled.

He took a deep breathe, and bellowed _"REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR SISTER!"_

Karen stopped dead as these words hit her. The Ayakashi had hit her worst feeling dead-on. Her suit began to crackle with purple electricity.

"_What the HELL do you think you're saying to her, you BASTARD!" _Chad roared, charging in out of nowhere and smashing his spear into Zuboshimeshi's third eye.

The monster screamed and reeled from the blow "Stay out of this!" he spat at Chad, grabbing Karen's arm.

Chad merely raised his spear above his head. "Karen, dodge!" he yelled spinning his spear like a helicopter rotor. **"Wood Spear! Leaf Tornado!"**

A whirlwind of leaves erupted around Chad, and launched itself at Zuboshimeshi. They weren't meant to do any damage, only to distract him long enough for Karen to escape, and for Chad to get behind him and grab his arms in a full nelson. "Karen, now!" he yelled.

"Thanks!" Karen replied, drawing a yellow circle in the air with her sword tip, which became a large rock. **"Stone Plug!" **she yelled, and the rock shot forward and jammed itself in the Ayakashi's mouth, blocking it completely.

"Nice one!" Chad cheered, running over and giving her a high-five.

Karen the turned to the monster. "Using words to hurt people," she said to him, her voice full of hatred. "Guys like you are the worst!"

Spinning the disk on her sword, she powered up her final attack. **"Elemental Katana Mode!" **she shouted, yellow energy surging up the blade. **"Earthquake Blade!"**

Karen swung her sword, and a massive blast of energy fired forth, scoring a direct hit on Zuboshimeshi's big mouth. The Ayakashi let out a muffled scream and fell to the ground, where it struggled to get up.

The other Rangers ran over. "Tyson, it's your turn!" Karen called out.

"Right!" Tyson replied, whipping out the Kabuto Ronin Disk and spinning it on his buster sword. **"Ronin Disk Activated!" **he yelled, the blade shape-shifting as he spoke. **"Fire Buster Sword, Kabuto Bazooka Mode!"**

As Zuboshimeshi rose, the Ranger slotted their disks into the bazooka. **"Kabuto Five-Disk Elemental Blast!" **Tyson shouted, and pulled the trigger. The disks fired forth, combining into a giant sphere of shining light, and blasted the Ayakashi in his third eye.

Unable to withstand such a powerful hit to his weakest point, the monster toppled and then exploded.

"Yes!" Chad cried, punching the air with his fist, and then turning to Karen. "Good work," he said to her, "you really showed him!"

"Thanks, Chad," Karen replied, but they were then interupted by the arrival of Zuboshimeshi's second life.

"Curse you, Rangers!" he roared, growing hundreds of feet tall. "You'll pay for this!"

"Time to call on the Zords!" Tyson said, and the Rangers pulled out their talismans.

"**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they called out, and the talismans expanded to full size and unfolded to become their Zords; the Fire Lion, Water Dragon, Earth Monkey, Wood Bear and Wind Turtle. The Rangers teleported inside, and Tyson wasted no time in drawing the 'Combine' symbols to bring the Zords together. **"Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!" **he shouted, the Megazord drawing its mighty katana to face the Ayakashi.

Zuboshimeshi turned his back to the Megazord, revealing the eye-like symbols, which blasted lighting at the Rangers. The Megazord took damage, causing it to drop its sword. The Ayakashi took advantage of this to charge at them, drawing a nasty-looking blade from his belt as he went and swinging it at the Megazord's left shoulder.

But the blade never made contact, as the left arm was Karen's Monkey Zord, and, thinking quickly, she folded up, detached from the Megazord and flew out of the way. Expecting resistance, but meeting none, Zuboshimeshi was thrown off-balance.

"Nice one, Karen!" Chad cheered, and his Bear Zord, being the right leg, kicked out, slamming into the Ayakashi, knocking him back.

"Chad, you know what to do!" Karen said, her folded-up Zord landing in from of the Megazord's foot.

"You're not serious!" May cried, realising what she meant.

"You got it!" Chad grinned, and the Megazord's right leg kicked out again, smashing into the Monkey Zord and firing it forward like a soccer ball straight at Zuboshimeshi, crashing into him and knocking his sword from his grip.

"Thanks Chad!" Karen said, her Zord re-attaching. "That got him!"

"And now to bring out the big guns!" Tyson said, teleporting onto the Megazord's shoulder and spinning the Kabuto Disk on his sword.

"**Kabuto Ronin Spirit, Come Forth!"** he yelled, flames spinning around him. **"Zord Mode!"** And from the flames came the Kabuto Ronin Zord, the giant orange beetle.

"What the heck is that thing?" Zuboshimeshi cried as Tyson teleported back inside.

"**Kabuto Zord!" **Tyson commanded.** "Initiate Megazord Armament Form!"**

The Kabuto Zord flew into the air and broke apart. Its legs wrapped around the Megazord's arms, while the rest of it became a gigantic helmet which landed on the Megazord's head.**"Armament Complete! KabutoStrike Megazord!"**

"That just looks stupid..." Zuboshimeshi commented, before being blasted by a round of Kabuto Lasers. The Megazord then seized its sword from where it had fallen, and slashed away at the Ayakashi. The monster gave ground, until the Megazord shoulder-barged him, sending him flying.

"And now, to finish you!" Tyson said, spinning the Ronin Disk once more. The Kabuto Helmet's lower horn closed, and its head began to spin around, faster and faster.

"**Kabuto Finishing Strike!" **the Rangers yelled. **"Ultimate Revolving Cannon!"**

The quickly spinning cannon pulled in energy from all around it, glowed with a brilliant orange light, and blasted forth a massive energy ball that smashed into Zuboshimeshi.

"Noooo!" the defeated monster screeched, as it collapsed and exploded once more, this time permanently.

"Samurai Strike, mission complete!" the Rangers cheered... except for Karen, who suddenly fainted.

"Karen!" Chad cried, rushing to her side. "Wake up! What happened?"

**A bit later, on the way back to Shiba Manor...**

"I guess those attacks _were_ doing damage to her after all," May said, glancing at Karen, who was still out cold, and was being carried on Chad's back.

"She was just really good at hiding it," Tyson replied. "Once the battle was over, she could relax, and that's when it all caught up with her."

"She sure is strong, though," Ryan commented. "Far stronger than me. I got taken out _twice _by those attacks."

"Don't remind me," Tyson replied, rolling his eyes. "Extra focus training for you from now on."

Ryan agreed, and they continued to walk, Ryan and May talking, Tyson in silence.

Chad looked over his shoulder at Karen on his back. "Man, now look what you've got me doing," he said to her quietly. "You really _are _stupid sometimes, aren't you? Bottling up all that emotion until it overcame you; not exactly a good move, was it?"

He then smiled. "But you really are amazing, you know," he said.

He was positive he heard a quiet "Thank you..." in reply.

**Meanwhile, back at Shiba Manor...**

"Alpha, why can't you get a lock on it?" Graydon said angrily. They had narrowed down the location of the next Ronin Spirit to a two-hundred-mile radius area, but that was still a LOT of area to search. But for some reason they could not get a closer lock.

"I don't know why it isn't working," Alpha replied, scratching his domed head. "All the programs are operating correctly. I think perhaps your receiving dish may be damaged."

"Alright, I'll go check it," Graydon replied, leaving his room.

Carefully climbing the room to where the dish was on the roof, he saw that it had indeed taken damage; it was all crooked and wonky, and if something had hit it.

"That's odd..." Graydon murmured. He pulled a few tools from his belt and went to work. Soon the dish was re-aligned and receiving a correct signal again.

"Did that work, Alpha?" Graydon asked, speaking into a walkie-talkie, the other one being connected to his computer.

"_Affirmative," _came Alpha's reply. _"I have now pin-pointed the exact location of the Ronin Spirit."_

"Excellent!" Graydon said. "I'm on my way back." He then turned off the walkie-talkie.

But that was as far as he got, for suddenly, strange ropes glowing a sinister red shot out from the cracks between the tiles on the roof and wrapped themselves around his ankles, and dragged him into the crevice.

Knowing he had only seconds, Graydon pulled a small black box out of his belt, pressed a button on it and just managed to drop in on the roof before he was sucked entirely into the crevice.

And then both he and the crevice were gone. All that was left was that strange black box on the roof, a green light on it flashing away...

**END CHAPTER EIGHT**

…

Well... that was interesting :)

This little epilogue part is the start of the new storyline I've decided to introduce as part of my major plot adjustments I mentioned at the beginning. Hopefully, you fans of Shinkenger won't hate me for this major deviation...

What has happened to Graydon? Will the Rangers be able to save him? What will the newly discovered Ronin Spirit be? All these questions and more will be answered next chapter, so stay tuned!

Once again, any feedback (positive or negative) is more than welcome. Also, if you have any questions you would answered about the series, feel free to ask.

Also, if you would like to ask any of the characters in the series questions about themselves, no matter how silly, send them in too! If I get enough I might devote a special chapter to them... :)

So, until next time, may the Power protect you!


	9. Chapter 9: Gone Fishing

I DO NOT own Super Sentai or Power Rangers.

Hey everyone, sorry for the wait! Enjoy this new chapter!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 9: Gone Fishing_

**Shiba Manor, morning...**

Graydon was missing.

The Rangers, especially Tyson, felt guilty, as they had not spotted this at first. When they had returned to the manor after defeating Zuboshimeshi the previous evening, they had found his bedroom door locked tight, and he did not answer when they knocked. Though unusual, it was not unheard of; Graydon was known for getting so wrapped up in his search for the Ronin Spirits that he would not leave his room except for training.

Since he had previously informed them that he was on the verge of finding the next Spirit, the others simply thought he was working hard, and had not heard them knock. So, shrugging this off, they had gone to bed. Things didn't get worrying until they woke up the next morning.

At ten o'clock.

No matter how deep Graydon was in his work, he never, _ever, _forgot to wake up the Rangers for dawn training. This was serious. Something was definitely wrong.

Racing up the stairs, Chad hammered on Graydon's door while the others looked on. "Are you in there?" he yelled. "Are you sick or something?"

"Please Graydon," Karen called out, her face contorted in worry. "If you can hear us, please come out!"

But still, there was no response. Tyson , now seriously concerned, strode forward. "Stand back," he said to the others, summoning his Ranger katana to his side. Raising the blade, he prepared to slice down the door, when there was a metallic click, and the door swung inwards by itself. Carefully, the Rangers entered, Tyson still holding out his sword in case it was a trap.

None of them had ever been in Graydon's room before, so they were surprised to see the dozen or so computer monitors covering one wall, and all the takeaway sushi boxes strewn across the floor. Graydon was nowhere to be seen, and the only movement came from a glass case in the corner, where many tiny robotic arms were working on a strange device that none of them recognised.

After a few moments of silence, Tyson lowered his sword. "Well, he's not here," he said to the others. "Now what?"

As if in response to his question, the largest screen on the wall suddenly lit up. A series of numbers ran across it, then large green words appeared: _VOICE PRINT IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED: TYSON SHIBA. BEGIN MESSAGE._

The screen then flickered, and a image of Graydon's face appeared.

"Graydon!" Karen cried, running to the screen. "Is that you? Where are you?"

The image of Graydon did not react at all to Karen's query, and began to speak, staring straight ahead.

"_Tyson," _it said, _"if this message has been activated, then what I feared has come to pass, and I have been kidnapped by the Gedoushu."_

May and Karen gasped, clapping their hands to their mouths. Ryan and Chad exchanged shocked looks, while Tyson merely frowned.

"_I have suspected that this might happen for a while now," _Graydon continued. _"I am sure that they know of my existence, as I have been assisting you in fighting them. I suspect they are trying to find a way to either destroy or gain control of your Zords, and since I am not a Ranger -" _the image frowned for a moment, then it continued, _"and I know quite a bit about your Zords_, _capturing me would be an excellent way to try and get information."_

The image then smiled. _"Don't worry; I won't tell them anything, I'm a tough nut to crack." _Graydon's face then frowned again. _"I'm not sure where they would have taken me, but I know it would not have been to the Sanzu River; normal humans cannot survive there, and they need me alive. So I suspect I'm still somewhere in our dimension, but I could be almost anywhere."_

The image indicated with his hand the corner in which the glass case stood. _"You won't have to worry about searching for me all over the planet, though," _he said. _"I've been working on a device that can open crevices from our side. The only problem is that it's not yet functional. It requires a sufficiently strong connection to the morphing grid, and the data I've acquired from your morphers, talismans and the Kabuto disk just isn't enough. I theorise that the data from at least two more Ronin Spirits should be enough."_

The image on the screen then changed to an wireframe of the completed device, a strange claw-like gun. _"After the device is functioning properly," _Graydon's voice continued,_ "it should be able to open the crevice I was taken through, and allow you to trace it back to its origin to find me. I will have left a black box device outside the crevice, so if you track that down, you'll find the crevice."_

Graydon's face return with a serious expression. _"UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you attempt to fight any of Lord Doukoku's generals," _he intoned. _"They are far too strong, and you are not ready to fight them yet. Get in, rescue me, get out; that's all you do, got it?"_

The Rangers looked at each other, then nodded. As if he could see this, Graydon seemed satisfied. _"Good. I expect my rescue with all due haste. Don't make me wait!"_ He then tapped an off-screen button , and the video cut out, the words _END OF FILE _showing on the screen.

"I sure hope he's okay..." Karen said sadly, still staring at the screen.

"Graydon's tougher than he looks, don't worry," Ryan replied gently, Tyson nodding in agreement.

"So all we need to do is track down two more Ronin Spirits, right?" Chad said, pacing round the room. "That shouldn't be too hard. Chad himself said only yesterday that he was on the verge of finding another one." He glanced at the screens. "Maybe the location's in one of these computers."

"But how will we get to that information?" May countered. "Graydon's sure to have put passwords on everything, and he's the only one who knows how to use his programs."

"_Well..." _came an electronic voice from a speaker, _"he's not the _only _one..."_

As one, the Rangers turned to see all the screens flicker to life, Most showed strings of programming code, but the one in the middle had an image of a red, shiny, disk-headed robot, that looked all too familiar...

"It can't be..." Chad gasped with shock.

"Alpha 5?" Karen yelped, pointing at the screen.

"_Just Alpha, if you don't mind," _the robot replied politely.

"What are you doing in Graydon's computer?" Ryan asked, bewildered.

"_Simple," _Alpha replied. _"I am not the real Alpha, but an AI program that Graydon designed himself, using Power Ranger data gathered from you and others. He made my visual representation look like the robot assistant to Zordon, which you know as Alpha 5." _The robot paused, then added, _"I guess you would call that humour."_

"Wow," Chad said, eyes wide with amazement, "I knew Graydon was smart, but I didn't know he was _this _smart!"

"Alpha," Tyson said, interrupting the others' musing on Graydon's genius, "do you have a confirmed location on the next Ronin Spirit?"

"_Affirmative," _Alpha replied, one of the others screens changing to show a map of a massive lake. _"Yesterday, I was able to locate a Ronin Spirit energy source, but moments later, I received an alert from Graydon, and, as programmed, shut down all systems until either he or you entered the room."_

"So, we have the location of a spirit," Tyson said, nodding in satisfaction. "Which one is it?"

"_Judging from its location, underwater, and from the small pieces of data I received from it," _Alpha thought, lights flashing across his face, _"I theorise that it is the Kajiki Spirit, otherwise know as a swordfish."_

"A swordfish?" Chad said, interest piqued. "That sounds strong!"

"_Indeed," _Alpha nodded. _"According to Shiba family records, the Kajiki's nose blade is stronger and sharper than any katana, even the one belonging to the StrikeBlade Megazord."_

"Great!" May said, punching the air. "Then let's go get it!"

The alarm bells around the manor could not have picked a worse time to go off. The Rangers looked up, concern on their faces.

"_Alert!" _Alpha announced, red lights flashing around him. _"An Ayakashi has been detected entering our dimension!"_

"Perfect, just what we needed right now," Tyson replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Now what?" Karen said. "Do we fight that Ayakashi, or do we go after the Ronin Spirit?"

"We could split up," May suggested. "Tyson and Karen are our best fighters, so they could fight the Ayakashi, while the others find the swordfish..."

"No, that won't work," Tyson said. "Our forces here will be too whittled down, and the others won't be able to return quick enough if the situation gets bad."

"_May I make a suggestion?" _Alpha interjected, and the others turned to him. _"As Ryan commands the Water element, and therefore would have the closest bond with the Kajiki, it being a fish, I suggest he go to the lake alone. It is unlikely that the Gedoushu have tracked its location, and therefore sending more than one Ranger would be unnecessary. Meanwhile, the others may fight the Ayakashi, and with only one of their number missing, instead of two or three, they should do well enough against the monster until Ryan returns."_

"But how will I get there?" Ryan replied, pointing at the coordinates on the screen. "I'm not very good at map-reading, but I'm sure that's a _loooooong_ way away from here."

"_Not a problem," _Alpha said. _"Using the data he had procured from the Kabuto disk, Graydon was able to construct a long-range teleporter. It only works on those with morphers, however, so Graydon has not been able to test it, but all the calculations and simulations are promising."_

A hatch opened in the ceiling, and a circular object with green-glowing prongs sticking from it descended into the room above Ryan's head, who looked at it apprehensively. "I'm not so sure about this..." he said, worried.

"Aww, come on," Chad said, patting him on the back, "what could go wrong?"

"_Would you like the full list, or merely the highlights?" _Alpha asked.

"Neither, thank you," Ryan frowned at him.

"We'd better get going," Tyson said. "Who knows how much damage that Ayakashi has caused while we were standing here." He and the others left the room, leaving Ryan to mentally prepare himself.

"_One last thing, Ryan," _Alpha added. _"I suggest you take this. Without it, capturing the Kajiki will be quite difficult."_

Another hatch opened, this time in the wall, revealing a rather fancy-looking fishing rod. It was rather longer and thicker than a standard rod, the line had a strange crystal lure on the end, and, instead of a handle, it had an Ranger disk mounted to the reel, white in colour, with kanji inscribed on it.

"_Graydon was aware that one of the Ronin Spirits was a fish," _Alpha continued, "_and so designed this rod to capture it. Simply cast the line into the water, focus your elemental energy into the rod, and spin the disk as hard as you can. If you focus hard enough, the Kajiki Spirit should respond and come to you, allowing you to capture it."_

"Sounds easy enough, I guess," Ryan replied nervously, taking the rod, and glancing at the teleporter above his head again.

"_Beginning teleportation sequence," _Alpha announced, and the the prongs glowed much brighter, their light descending around Ryan, spiralling and twisting.

As the light span faster, Ryan looked at Alpha. "Will this hurt?" he asked.

Alpha made a strange beeping noise, then replied. "Not at all."

"Oh, good," Ryan said, then he vanished in a flash of blue light.

Alpha beeped once again. _"Lie Mode deactivated," _he said to no-one.

**A short while later, in Tovern City...**

Tyson at the others rushed to the location of the disturbance, but when they got there, they saw nothing but a man collapsed on the ground next to his car. They quickly ran over to him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Chad asked him, but the man did not reply. He was grasping at his throat, and making horrible gasping noises, as if something was choking him.

"What's wrong with him?" Karen said, worried.

"The Ayakashi must have done this," Tyson said, indicating massive muddy footprints leading from the scene.

"Then where is he?" May pondered, following the footprints, but she could see anything.

"Over here..." said a bored sounding voice behind them, and they turned to see a hideous monster. He was covered in a dark green substance that looked like moss or algae, and had webbed feet. His small face was almost hidden behind the moss, and he carried a spiky sword in his hand.

Without a moment's delay, the Rangers whipped out their morphers and drew their symbols in the air.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they chorused, and with a thunderclap, a rainbow flash and an unnecessary explosion, they morphed into the Power Rangers.

"Let's go!" Tyson shouted, and they charged the vile monster, blades raised high.

**Meanwhile, in an unknown location...**

Graydon yelled as pain shot though his body. He was strapped to a device that looked like a dentist chair from hell, with many nasty gadgets surrounding it, sitting in a shadowy room.

The pain intensified, then stopped. Graydon gasped, trying to get his breath back, as Tayu emerged from the shadows.

"Well, Umemori?" she hissed. "Will you give me the information my master wants, or shall we continue?"

"Do your worst!" Graydon spat, and Tayu sneered at him.

"Gladly," she replied, and pulled a lever on the wall. The pain returned, even worse than before. Graydon screamed and struggled, but could not escape that horrible chair.

A full minute of excruciating pain passed, then Tayu released the lever. Graydon fell back, panting.

"It seems you are more resilient than we thought," Tayu said. "I'm impressed. Unbearable physical pain seems to have no effect on your resolve."

A crack in a nearby wall expanded to reveal a crevice entrance, and Shitari looked through. "Any luck yet, Tayu?" he asked.

"Not yet," Tayu replied, glaring at the boy. "He's tough; he just won't crack, no matter how much I hurt him."

Shitari pondered this, then had an idea. "Perhaps physical pain is not enough," he said slowly. "Maybe emotional pain might work instead..."

"What are you suggesting, Shitari?" Tayu asked.

The squid-headed warlock turned to look at Graydon. "Your pitiful little Ranger friends are facing an Ayakashi right now as we speak," he hissed at him. "I fear that they might not win this time. Would you like to watch them die?"

Another crevice opened in the wall in front of Graydon. It acted like a TV, showing the Rangers fighting against the horrible monster.

"Enjoy watching your friends fail," Tayu said. "Or, maybe you might feel a bit more talkative? Tell me what I want to know, and I'll spare your friends."

"Like you won't just kill them anyway when you take over!" Graydon shouted at her. "Besides, the Rangers will win like they always do!"

Tayu's face twisted with anger. "We shall see..." she snarled, and retreated back into the shadows once more.

**Meanwhile, at the Kajiki lake...**

It was quiet, nothing disturbing the still air, animals drinking from the lake. All was peaceful.

Until a massive blue flash deposited a boy in his late teens, wearing a blue jacket and holding a fishing rod, onto the lake shore.

"OW!" Ryan yelled, not just from the landing. The journey had hurt quite a bit. "Stupid Alpha," he muttered, picking himself up and walking towards the lake edge. He had been fishing before, so he knew what to do. "Well, here goes nothing."

He cast the line into the water and focused hard, reaching out with his mind, trying to sense with his elemental energy the location of the Ronin Spirit.

Suddenly, a huge surge of energy came from nowhere, stunning him momentarily, and then an _enormous _swordfish broke the surface of the lake.

The thing was _massive! _It must have been at least thirty metres long! Its scales were a strange green-blue teal colour. The Kajiki's massive jaws clamped around the lure, and it dove back underwater.

Ryan gripped the rod with all his strength, desperately trying to stop the fish from escaping. "You're not going anywhere!" he shouted, focusing his energy and spinning the capture disk as hard as he could. "You're mine!"

**Back at Tovern City...**

The Ayakashi was extremely agile; the Rangers couldn't land a hit, he simply dodged all their attacks.

"I've got plenty for everyone!" the monster said in his slow voice. "Would you like some?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll pass, thanks!" Chad said, swinging his katana at the Ayakashi's face. The monster blocked it with his own blade, then brought his face close to Chad's helmet.

"Here you go!" he said, and breathed a sickly green cloud of gas into Chad's face. Chad fell back, choking and grasping his throat, the pain forcing him to de-morph.

"Chad!" Karen yelled, she and May running to his side. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Tyson charged at the monster, swing his katana, but the Ayakashi blocked and dodged easily. "I'm strong, aren't I?" he asked, smashing his blade into the Ranger's body, sending him into a wall. "Here, you try some, too!" Another cloud of gas blasted forth, surrounding Tyson, who collapsed, gasping and de-morphing.

"Tyson, no!" May cried, she and Karen re-entering the fight, but before they could do anything, the Ayakashi breathed out his gas once more and they too fell to the ground, too drained to stay morphed.

The monster cackled with delight. "My breathe sure does stink, doesn't it?" he said, before happily wandering off to find more people to attack.

"St-stop..." Tyson choked, reaching out from the ground with one hand, before he passed out.

**Later, on board the Rokumon, on the Sanzu River...**

"Ah!" Shitari said, holding a measuring stick into the water. "The waters are definitely rising!"

"Excellent!" Lord Doukoku growled, pacing the deck. "That Ayakashi seems to be doing well."

"Where did you find sure a strange monster, if I might ask, my lord," Shitari inquired.

"He's a Yamiororo," Doukoku replied. "The are vile creatures, born in the depths of the River. He was found stuck to the underside of the ship. He was a bit spaced out, as they always are, but I sent him into the human world as I knew their breath caused great suffering." He grinned evilly. "Those Rangers never stood a chance against him. And now, his poison will spread, and the suffering will feed the river, so that I can enter the human world once more!"

**Back at the Kajiki Lake...**

Ryan, looking exhausted, shook his head as he stared at the rubber boot hanging from his line. "What the heck is a boot even doing in a lake_ in the middle of nowhere?"_ he said, exasperated, as he chucked it over his shoulder onto the pile of rubbish his line had hooked.

"Why do I keep catching this junk?" he continued, casting his line again. "Is my elemental energy level not high enough to catch the Kajiki Spirit?" He tightened his grip on the rod. "Well, I'm not done yet!" he yelled, spinning the disk once more.

Ryan focused his energy once more, but it was getting weaker. Constant usage was draining his energy, and he was quickly tiring. He wobbled a bit, then collapsed on the ground. "Maybe I should rest a bit," he muttered.

His morpher beeped, and pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "What is it?" he groaned, holding the morpher to his ear.

"_Lord Ikenami," _he heard Hikoma say, _"I have terrible news. The Ayakashi that attacked has infected the other Rangers with a terrible disease. They are unable to fight, and..." _he paused, then continued sadly, _"I fear they might not have long to live. A Yamiororo's poison is very effective; its victims usually only last a few days, and they suffer horribly during that time." _

Ryan sat bolt upright. "Is there anything we can do?" he said, horrified.

"_There is," _Hikoma replied, and Ryan's heart leaped, only to be brought down again with the old man's next words. _"Shiba family records suggest that the Kajiki Spirit's purifying powers of the sea can cure_ _Yamiororo poison. Have you had any luck catching the Kajiki yet?"_

"No, I'm sorry," Ryan said, hanging his head in shame. "I'm just not strong enough."

The was silence from the other end, then Hikoma answered. _"Well, I'm sure you can do it," _he said. _"If Lord Tyson could master the Kabuto Spirit, then I'm sure you can do the same."_

Ryan nodded, his hope restored. "You can count on me!" he said, and snapped the morpher shut.

_Everyone's relying on me, _he thought, readying his fishing rod again. _I can't fail them._

"So what if I need more elemental energy?" he yelled at the lake. "Tyson doubled his overnight! If he can do it, so can I!" He cast his line into the water, and focused with all his strength. "I'll master you, Kajiki! Just you wait!"

**Later that day, at Shiba manor...**

Alarm bells were ringing all over the manor. Hikoma, using Tyson's morpher, was speaking to Ryan from the main room. "The situation is getting bad!" he said into the morpher. "The Yamiororo is attacking civilians now! You need to get that Kajiki Spirit! _Now!" _

"_I'm trying, I really am!" _Ryan replied, his despair evident in his voice. _"I just don't have enough energy!"_

The door behind Hikoma slid open, and Tyson staggered through. "Lord Tyson, what are you doing up?" Hikoma cried.

"_Tyson?" _Ryan said over the morpher. _"You idiot, don't be reckless!"_

Tyson wobbled where he stood, but the gaze he gave Hikoma was steady. "Give me my morpher, old man," he said, his voice shaky but firm.

"My lord, I cannot!" Hikoma said, holding the morpher away from him. "You are in no state to fight! You would have no chance against him!"

Tyson glared at his, then snatched the morpher from Hikoma's hand and held it to his ear. "Ryan, don't worry about me," he said. "Hikoma is exaggerating; I can hold him off for a while to give you some time, but not for long. Don't worry about me, you just focus on catching that swordfish! You're the Strike Ranger of Water! I know you can do it!"

"_Tyson..." _Ryan answered, worried. _"You don't have to do this..."_

"I must!" Tyson snapped at him. "That Ayakashi beat me once, and I must defeat him!"

"But, Lord Tyson," Hikoma said reasonably, as Tyson limped towards the front door. "You surely do not intend to face the Ayakashi _alone?"_

"He won't be alone!" said a voice, and Hikoma turned to see May, Karen and Chad also staggering towards them.

"If Tyson can fight, so can we!" Karen said, a determined look on her face.

"We won't let that foul monster hurt anyone else!" Chad agreed.

"We're Power Rangers!" May added. "We fight to the end!"

Tyson looked at them, eyes wide with shock, then he smiled. "Thank you," he said to them. "Let's go!"

**In Tovern City...**

The Yamiororo laughed slowly, as he walked through the city, spraying everything he saw with his poison breath. He saw a mother shielding her child and turned towards them.

"My breath is sweet," he said, walking slowly towards them, as they cowered in terror. "Why don't you try some?"

He breathed out and the gas flowed towards them – only to be blocked as a morphed Tyson jumped in the way, taking the full dose of poison.

Tyson, barely staying on his feet, shooed the mother and child away, and faced the Ayakashi, katana held in his shaking hands. _I've already breathed the poison once, _he thought to himself. _A few times more won't change anything._

May, Chad and Karen, all morphed, charged in, blades held high. "Let's get him, Tyson!" Chad yelled, wavering slightly where he stood, the others also having trouble standing.

Tyson nodded, and they charged the Ayakashi, who laughed. "I'm too strong for you!" he said slowly. "Come and play!"

**Back at the Kajiki Lake...**

Ryan collapsed, his elemental energy drained once more. "I can't give up..." he muttered, hauling himself to his feet, using his rod to support him. "Everyone is counting on me!"

_You can't do it, _a little doubting voice in his head said to him. _You're just too weak._

"NO!" Ryan yelled to the sky. "I WILL catch the Kajiki!"

_Even Tyson needed to double his energy to master the Kabuto, _the little voice said. _How will you do that?_

"I... I don't know..." Ryan said, his determination draining. Then he remembered what Hikoma had told him about Tyson's training.

"_Tyson did not have enough elemental energy by himself, so he increased his output by drawing in energy from many fires. His element is fire, so the energy from the fires supplemented him own, building up and increasing his energy reserves, until he had enough energy to control the Kabuto by himself."_

Ryan then realised what he had to do. He had an entire lake of water right in front of him; he could draw energy from that. But would it be enough?

Inspiration hit him, and he pulled out his talisman. **"Origami, Come Forth!" **he yelled. **"Zord Mode!"**

His mighty Water Dragon burst forth, expanding to enormous size. With his Origami Spirit to help him as well, Ryan was sure he could finally capture the Kajiki.

"Mighty dragon, lend me your strength!" Ryan called to it, and the dragon complied, water energy flowing from the Zord into Ryan.

"Now, let's do this!" he yelled, casting the line with all his might into the middle of the lake, and focused harder than he ever had before.

_Tyson, Chad, May, Karen, Graydon, Hikoma, all the people of Tovern City and the world, _he thought, energy surging through him, as he pulled in as much energy from the lake as he could. _They're all relying on me! I will not fail them! I WILL NOT!_

The massive Kajiki Spirit burst through the surface, the lure in its mouth, and Ryan pulled on the rod as hard as he could.

"_KAJIKI!" _he roared, spinning the capture disk as hard as he could, energy flowing into the rod and up the line to the swordfish. _"YOU'RE MINE!"_

The Kajiki Spirit erupted from the lake and flew through the air towards Ryan, who held the rod above his head, capture disk pointed at the great fish.

"**Capture Disk, Activate!" **he yelled, and the disk spewed forth a bright beam of blue light, hitting the Kajiki dead-on. The swordfish was drawn towards the disk, and its mighty nose blade made contact.

There was a blast of brilliant light, and Ryan was blown backwards, dropping the rod from his grip.

Then all was silent. Ryan's Water Dragon returned to its talisman, and tucked itself back in his pocket. Ryan got up and walking towards the fishing rod.

There was no sign of the Kajiki Spirit anywhere. Ryan was worried, until he noticed that the capture disk on the rod had changed. It was no longer white, but teal, and the kanji had been replaced by sword-like symbols.

Ryan, ecstatic, unclipped the capture disk, now the Kajiki Ronin Disk, and held it above his head. "I did it!" he yelled. _"I captured the Kajiki Ronin Spirit!"_

He quickly whipped out his morpher. "Alpha, do you read me?" he said into it.

"_Reading you loud and clear, Ryan," _Alpha's metallic voice responded.

"I've got the Kajiki Spirit!" Ryan yelled with delight. "Lock on to my morpher signal and teleport me back to the others ASAP!"

"_No problem!" _Alpha replied. _"Beginning teleportation sequence!"_

"I just hope I'm in time..." Ryan said, as he disappeared in a flash of blue light.

**Back at Tovern City...**

Tyson and the others were forced to de-morph as the Yamiororo blasted them with lazers from his eyes. "You're just too weak..." the vile monster giggled.

"Dammit..." Tyson spat, trying to climb to his feet, the poison finally sapping him of all his energy. "Where is Ryan?"

The Ayakashi continued to giggle. "Time to finish you!" he said, his eyes glowing, readying another shot. Tyson bowed his head, accepting the inevitable.

He heard the lazers fire, but they never reached him; instead they hit something else. He looked up to see the miniature Water Dragon zip around in front of them, blocking the lazers.

"The Water Dragon!" he said aloud. "Then that means..."

Right on cue, Ryan arrived, Water Bow held high. "Looks like I got hear just in time," he said to the Rangers.

"A few minutes earlier wouldn't have been so bad..." Chad said to him, grinning through a face twisted in pain.

"Ah, well, what're you gonna do?" Ryan shrugged. He pulled the Kajiki Disk from his pocket and clipped it to the bow, pointed it at the sky, and fired. A mighty teal arrow shot forth into the sky, and exploded like a firework, causing soothing rain to fall on the city. Some of the rain fell on the Rangers, and they felt their energy return as the poison was washed away.

"No!" the Yamiororo cried, as some of the rain fell on him too. "It's so disgusting!"

"We're cured!" May cried as they climbed to their feet.

"That swordfish is amazing!" Chad agreed.

"You did it, Ryan!" Karen cheered. Ryan smiled and nodded in reply.

"Okay, let's finish this!" Tyson said, pulling out his morpher once more, the others doing likewise. They drew their kanji in the air and span them around.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they chorused, and with a whirl of colours and an inexplicable explosion they morphed.

"Strike Ranger Red, Tyson Shiba!"

"Strike Ranger Blue, Ryan Ikenami!"

"Strike Ranger Green, Chad Tani!"

"Strike Ranger Pink, May Shiraishi!"

"Strike Ranger Yellow, Karen Hanaori!"

"POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE!" they cried once more.

The Yamiororo fired his lazers at them, but the Rangers blocked them with their swords, then ran at the monster, blades at the ready, slashing away.

_Unbeknownst to the Rangers, a strangely-armoured creature watched them, his eyes glowing from the shadows in which he hid. He did not join the battle, but merely watched, as if studying them._

"Ryan, it's time!" Tyson said, turning to him. "Show him the power of the Kajiki Spirit!"

"Right!" Ryan replied, summoning his Water Bow once more. He clipped the Kajiki Disk to the bow again and span it, causing the bow to shape-shift. Ryan flipped it on its side, holding it horizontally as the arms extended and the pull-back handle morphed into what looked like a gun, but with a slot running along its top, leading to the exact centre of the bow.

"**Ronin Disk Activated!" **Ryan called out. **"Water Bow, Kajiki Crossbow Mode!"**

One by one, the Rangers slotted their disks into the crossbow, and Ryan carefully pointed it at the Ayakashi, who looked perplexed by this chain of events.

"**Kajiki Five-Sided Elemental Bolt!" **Ryan shouted, and pulled the trigger. An enormous multi-coloured arrow fired from the crossbow and slammed into the Yamiororo. He screamed and sparked all over, collapsed and them exploded.

"Yes, we got him!" Chad yelled, punching the air.

"First life beaten!" Karen cheered.

Smoke erupted from the ground, and the Yamiororo appeared, his second life causing him to grow many stories tall.

As one, the Rangers pulled out their talismans. **"Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they called out, and the talismans shifted into their Zord modes, the Rangers teleporting inside the command rooms.

Tyson immediately drew the combine kanji, and the Zords flew together, locking in place. **"Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!" **he shouted, the Megazord drawing its mighty katana to face the Ayakashi.

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

"Ah, so they've summoned the Megazord!" Shitari said, watching the battle through a crevice. "This is my chance to try that spell I've been working on!"

He waved his staff in the air, and black electricity crackled around it. _"Commander Curse!" _he yelled, pointing the staff through the crevice. The black electricity fired away and made contact with the Megazord, crackling all over it.

The Megazord froze momentarily, as if unsure what to do, and Shitari felt victorious. "It worked! StrikeBlade Megazord is now under my control!"

But then something went wrong. The electricity was suddenly rebounded, as if something had blasted it away. "What?" Shitari cried. "What happened? Why did my spell not work?"

**Back at Tovern City...**

"What was that?" Chad asked, as the black electricity receded.

"I don't know," Karen replied, "but it didn't come from the Ayakashi, that's for sure."

"Well, it doesn't seem to have done any damage," Tyson commented. "Let' just finish off this monster."

"Right!" the others said, focusing on the Yamiororo once more.

"Even when I'm big, I can still breathe!" the monster said. "Watch this!" He breathed out, and thick fog spewed from his mouth, blinding the Megazord.

"Oh, no!" May said, she and the others looking around desperately. "Where is he?"

"Right here!" the Ayakashi yelled, slamming his blade into the Megazord. The giant robot reeled from the attack, then tried to counter with its own blade, but the monster blocked it and struck again and again.

"It's no good!" Karen yelled. "We can't see him through this fog!"

"Tyson!" Ryan said. "The Kajiki can take care of this fog!"

"Good idea!" Tyson replied. "You caught him, so you can summon him."

"Right!" Ryan replied, teleporting onto the Megazord's shoulder, and spinning the Kajiki Disk on his blade, water spiralling around him like a tornado.

"**Kajiki Ronin Spirit, Come Forth!" **he called out. **"Zord Mode!" **

And from the tornado burst the Kajiki Zord, a might teal swordfish. Ryan teleported inside it as it swam through the air as if it were water.

"What the heck is that?" the Yamiororo said as the fish swam towards him.

"**Swordfish Torpedos!" **Ryan called out, and missiles fired from the Kajiki's mouth, exploding on the monster's chest. The Ayakashi fell back, and then was knocked over as he was rammed by swordfish's nose blade. The fog, deprived of its source, dissipated into the air.

"That Kajiki Spirit is awesome!" Chad yelled, and Tyson nodded in agreement.

"Ryan!" he called out. "It's time!"

"Right!" Ryan replied, and span the Kajiki Disk again. **"Kajiki Zord!" **he called out.** "Initiate Megazord Armament Form!"**

The Kajiki Zord flew in front of the Megazord, and its head detached from its body. Its body flew around to attach onto the Megazord's back, while the head folded into a helmet and sat itself on the Megazord's head, its nose blade pointing straight up.

"**Armament Complete!" **Ryan shouted, teleporting back the the main control room. **"KajikiStrike Megazord!"**

The newly formed KajikiStrike Megazord swung its katana at the Yamiororo, pushing him back. The monster blocked desperately, but another round of Swordfish Torpedos knocked the sword from his hand.

"And now to finish you!" Ryan said, drawing his sword from the control panel. The Megazord then raised its arm and threw its katana in the air above it. The Kajiki helmet's nose blade split open, and the katana's handle landed in the gap, locking in place, forming a giant blade atop the Megazord's head.

"**Kajiki Finishing Strike!" **the Rangers called out. **"Fish-Splitting Cleaver!"**

The blade on the Megazord's head glowed bright, and then it swung its head straight down, the massive blade slicing through the Ayakashi, neatly cutting him in two. The halves fell to either side, sparked and then exploded, finishing off the Yamiororo for good.

"Samurai Strike Rangers, mission complete!" the Rangers cheered in victory.

**Meanwhile, in an unknown location...**

Tayu shook with anger as she and Graydon watched the Rangers defeat the Ayakashi. Graydon grinned and looked at her. "Guess that didn't work the way you had planned, huh?" he asked her.

Tayu yelled with fury and retaliated by sending another surge of pain through him, and didn't stop until Shitari emerged through a crevice.

"Damn that useless monster," he muttered as he entered. "Why couldn't he stop them?"

"I told you," Graydon sneered at him. "The Rangers will never lose to the likes of you!"

"Shut up, you!" Shitari snapped at him, then had an idea. "You know why my controlling spell didn't work, don't you?"

"Of course," Graydon smirked in reply. "It's like I've been telling you; only Rangers have the power to command Zords. That's the way it's always been."

"Oh, really?" Shitari said, a truly evil idea coming to him.

"Yeah, that's right!" Graydon continued. "And since you don't have any Rangers on your side, you'll never get your hands on those Zords!"

Shitari grinned at him. "So, we don't have any Rangers on our side, do we?" he said, pointing his staff at Graydon. "Are you sure about that?"

Before Graydon could respond, black lightning shot from the warlock's staff. The last thing he heard was Shitari's evil laughter, before sinking into inky darkness.

**Later, on the way back to Shiba Manor...**

"You did great in that battle, Ryan!" Chad said, patting him on the back. "Thanks to you, the Kajiki Spirit is now ours!"

"That's right!" Karen added. "Now we're one step closer to rescuing Graydon!"

"Thanks, you guys," Ryan said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"When we get back, make sure to give that disk to Alpha so he can analyse it," Tyson said to him. "With the added data from the new disk, finding the next Ronin Spirit should be much easier."

"You got it, Tyson!" Ryan replied.

"C'mon guys, let's go!" May, who was ahead of all of them, said. "The sooner we get back the sooner the search can begin!"

"Okay!" The others replied, and they all began running back to the manor.

Behind them, the strange creature emerged from the bushes. He was humanoid, but very tall, and completely covered in white bone-like armour. The front of his helmet was shaped like a skull, and was stained red with blood. A huge katana was slung over his back in a sheath.

"_Power Rangers..." _he muttered, before turning away and disappearing back into the shadows...

**END CHAPTER NINE**

Who is this strange new being? Is he friend or foe? What has Shitari done to Graydon? Will the Rangers be able to rescue him? Find out in the next exciting chapter!

For those of you who watched Shinkenger, you may have noticed a few major changes in this chapter, and I will give you my reasons for that.

I completely removed the fisherman character from this chapter. Personally, I really didn't like his attitude, and he just really didn't fit in to the story, as Ryan's reason for joining the Rangers was completely different in my version. No matter how I tried to work him in, it just didn't work, so I decided to just remove him completely. Please don't hate me too much for this, Shinkenger fans! :)

I also altered the Kajiki Bushido weapon, as Shinkenger's version was exactly the same to the Kabuto Bushido weapon (the bazooka), it just fired a differently shaped bullet. So I decided to make it change Ryan's bow instead, turning it into a giant crossbow thing. I'll admit it's not really that different, but I just thought it was boring having the same weapon again.

Also I changed the Kajiki's colour from light blue to teal. I just thought light blue wasn't different enough from blue. :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next one, it's going to have some great stuff in it!

Any feedback would be appreciated, I haven't gotten any since chapter five! Any questions you want answered are welcome too, I'll try answer them as best I can!

Until next time, may the Power protect you!


	10. Chapter 10: Here Comes the Bride

I DO NOT own Super Sentai or Power Rangers.

Merry Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or any other end-of year celebration I forgot to mention...) everyone! Here's an early present for you!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 10: Here Comes The Bride_

**Tovern City, morning...**

Tovern City, being a large city, had a dozen or so churches contained within its many sprawling streets, and in one a wedding was taking place. Everything seemed fairly normal; the priest was standing at the front facing the bride and groom, and the pews were occupied by many wedding guests. However, their was one thing that made this particular wedding unusual.

The bride and groom were May and Tyson.

"Dearly beloved," the priest began, "we are gathered here today to witness the union of these two people in the bonds of holy matrimony..." He droned on as priests do, going on about love and commitment. All in all, it was quite boring.

Chad, sitting in the front row and having been forced to wear a suit for the first time in his life, found it especially boring. Weddings had never been his thing. Trying to distract himself, he glanced over at Hikoma, who was sitting nearby, and was surprised to see that the old man was crying, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, Chad turned to Ryan, sitting next next to him. "Do you see Hikoma over..." he started to say, but stopped as he saw that Ryan was crying as well, though trying badly to hide it. Chad raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Ryan replied indignantly. "It's natural to get emotional at weddings."

"Whatever," Chad said, shaking his head, then looked around as Karen spoke.

"May's so beautiful in that dress," she said dreamily, staring at the bride in admiration. "I wish I could look like that..."

Chad sighed deeply and put his head in his hands, resigning himself to the fact that he was the only one not enjoying himself.

**Outside, in the city...**

A crack in the pavement began to glow red, and a crevice opened up, depositing half a dozen Nanashi on the street, who were pulling an old cart between them.

Growling and hissing, scaring civilians out of their way, they arrived outside the church and busted through the door, interrupting the wedding inside. Wedding guests fled in panic, and the bride and groom turned...

But they were not May and Tyson! They were a completely different couple, in a completely different church. Snarling, the Nanashi charged up the isle, grabbed the screaming bride, shoved the stunned groom out of the way and ran back out the doors. They then dumped the bride in the cart and ran off with it, disappearing from the scene through another crevice.

**Back at the Rangers' wedding...**

The proceedings were suddenly halted by a call coming in on Tyson's morpher. He quickly pulled in out and flipped it open. "What is it, Alpha?" he said, holding the morpher to his ear.

"_I'm terribly sorry, Tyson," _Alpha replied in his metallic voice, _"but I've detected Nanashi in the city. They've attacked another church, and run off with the bride."_

"Dammit!" Tyson cursed, snapping the morpher shut and turning to the others. "It didn't work. They went for a different wedding."

Hikoma frowned, shaking his head. "What a disappointment. All this for nothing," he said, as he waved his hand, causing the illusions of the priest and the wedding guests to disappear, revealing him and the Rangers to be the only real people there.

"So this was a complete waste of time?" Chad cried. "This sucks!" Saying so, he pulled off his tie and threw it to the ground in anger.

"Oh, well," May said, shrugging. "Back to the drawing board."

**Shiba manor, later that day...**

"This makes eight brides that have been kidnapped by Nanashi now," Hikoma said sadly, as he and the Rangers sat in the main room, pouring over a map of the city, with pins in it showing the locations of bride kidnappings.

"Fantastic," Chad muttered sarcastically. "Who was the idiot who said that the attacks were happening in a pattern?" He indicated four closely gathered pins, which looked like, if one more pin was added, it would make a five-pointed star. He then indicated the location of the latest attack, which was nowhere near there. "We even set up a wedding as bait, and it was a complete waste!"

"Well, sorry for trying to help," Ryan answered angrily, crossing his arms and glaring at Chad.

"It's not his fault," Tyson argued. "We all thought it sounded like good idea."

"That's right," May added. "And maybe the Gedoushu were trying to trick us."

"That must be it!" Ryan agreed, far too quickly, trying to cover for his blunder. "Those tricky devils..."

"Those poor brides..." Karen said miserably. "Kidnapped on what is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. It's terrible. If they had been taken to the Sanzu River..."

Hikoma shook his head. "No, they would not have been taken there," he replied. "As Graydon said in his message, normal humans cannot survive on the River. They must have been taken somewhere else in our world via a crevice, just as they did with Graydon."

At the mention of Graydon's name, the Rangers all saddened. "That's one of the reasons tracking down these brides is so important," Tyson said. "If we can find where the brides are, it may give us a hint to where they took Graydon."

May sighed. "If only they had taken our bait," she said. "Then I would probably be there right now."

There was silence, then Tyson spoke. "Let's try it again tomorrow. We have no other leads, after all."

"But where will they attack next?" Ryan pondered, his eyes roaming the map.

Hikoma pulled out a sheet of paper from a pocket in his robes. "This is a list Alpha gave me of the weddings taking place tomorrow," he said, placing the sheet on the map.

The Rangers stared at it; it was quite a long list, there must have been at least twenty.

"That's way too many!" Chad said, scratching his head. "The chances of them picking ours is virtually nil!"

"What're we going to do?" Ryan said exasperatedly.

As the other Rangers exchanged ideas, from the implausible to the downright ridiculous, Tyson picked up the list and stared at it, a plan beginning to form in his mind.

**Later that night, in a wooden hut, deep in Tovern Forest...**

The Nanashi arrived in the room through a crevice, carrying the kidnapped bride between them. They stepped forward and threw her to the wooden floor.

Terrified, the bride felt a shadow fall over her, and looked up to see Tayu sneering down at her. The horrible creature narrowed her eyes and laughed softly, holding the bride's chin in her hand.

"Please... let me go..." the bride whimpered, tears pouring down her face.

"I don't think so," Tayu replied, almost purring with joy. "Cry like that is your job." She then nodded at the Nanashi, who picked up the bride again and dragged her towards a corner of the wooden-walled room, in which a giant cocoon-like object stood wrapped in thin silky threads, almost like spider web.

The Nanashi flung the bride at the cocoon, who passed through it and landed face-down inside. She lifted herself up, and was shocked to see seven other women inside, all wearing wedding dresses, and all sobbing and weeping. These were the other brides the Gedoushu had captured.

Horrified, the latest kidnapped bride turned and started hammering on the walls of the cocoon with her fists. "Let me out!" she screamed, but nobody listened.

"Such beautiful cries," Tayu hissed quietly outside the cocoon. "They will be perfect for me."

She strummed a note on her shamisen, and threads reached out from the cocoon to a half-completed wedding dress standing nearby. The threads then stitched themselves into the dress, slowly making it more whole.

**Meanwhile, on the Sanzu River...**

"She's making a wedding dress from the silk?" Shitari said aloud, watching the room through a crevice.

"Yes," Lord Doukoku replied, quite uninterested. "She seems to be intent on making something quite extravagant." He shrugged. "It does not matter. As long as she's collecting sorrow for the River, I care not what she does."

Shitari nodded. "Her plan is exceptionally devious, I'll admit," he said. "Making brides cry when they should be at their happiest is quite wretched." He then tapped his chin with his fingers. "I wonder if her attachment to that dress has something to do with her past..." he pondered. "It's probably something she can't forget."

"For now, let her do as she pleases," Doukoku said evenly, though his eyes narrowed in thought.

"You spoil that Tayu too much, I think," Shitari replied. Doukoku grunted in return.

"You _would_ think that," he muttered, then he smiled. "Go check on our _guest,_" he growled. "I think he should be just about ready to begin work..."

Shitari bowed and began to walk away, but then turned back. "By the way," he added, almost as an afterthought. "I looked through a crevice the other day, and _he _was there."

"He?" Doukoku answered, his voice dangerously low.

"Yes," Shitari continued. "That... _stray..._"

**Meanwhile, elsewhere in Tovern Forst...**

The strange, bone-armoured being stood in a clearing, holding his long katana in front of him. The dark-red blade gleamed brightly in the moonlight, almost seeming alive.

"This light..." the creature muttered softly to the blade, bringing it closer to his red-stained helmet. "You can sense it too, Uramasa?"

He looked towards the moon, then back at the katana. "There is someone here who is worthy of crossing blades with me," he continued, and, with a deft flick of his wrist, replaced the katana in its sheath on his back.

"One... among the Power Rangers..."

**Back at the Shiba manor...**

Everyone had gathered in the main room again. Hikoma held out the list of the next day's weddings, but this time it was different; all but one of them had been crossed out.

"All those weddings were cancelled?" May said, stunned, taking the list from him.

"Following Lord Tyson's suggestion, I advised each of the couples about the danger of the brides being kidnapped," Hikoma replied. "It was not that difficult to convince them to cancel; news has already started to spread."

"I never expected the list to shrink this much, though," Tyson interjected, glancing at the list.

"If it's just one, this time we'll make it for sure!" Chad said, snatching the list from them and reading it with glee.

"I guess I'll be the bride again, then," May sighed.

"Be careful," Ryan warned her. "It's all over if they find out who you are."

"I know, don't worry," May smiled at him, though she looked a bit nervous.

"May..." Karen said quietly, then stepped towards her. "Maybe _I _should be the bride this time..." she said to her. "I would do better in a fight, if it came to that."

May smiled sadly, and put her hand on Karen's shoulder. "Thank you for that, but you look too young to be a bride," she replied. "Don't worry; I'll call you on the morpher as soon as I know the location, then Alpha can lock onto my signal, find where I am and you can come to my rescue, okay?"

"Then we bust you out, defeat the Ayakashi who's behind all this, and mission complete!" Chad said happily, then winced as Hikoma smacked him across the back of the head with the list.

"Don't get so cocky," he chided. "It won't be that easy. Even the most carefully-thought-out plan can go wrong."

"He's right," Tyson agreed. "The plan is dangerous, and the Gedoushu aren't fools. I think we should have a back-up plan..." He glanced at Chad, and a smile spread across his face.

_Uh oh,_ Chad thought nervously. _This can't be good._

**The next day, at the hut in the forest...**

Tayu hissed in disappointment; the cocoon had run out of threads again, and the dress was still incomplete.

"Still not enough..." she whispered, then turned to the Nanashi behind her. "Gather more brides!" she snapped at them.

The foot soldiers nodded in reply, then charged through the crevice, taking the cart as they went.

Tayu turned back to the dress. "This will be the most beautiful dress even made," she sighed, running her hand over it, stroking it against her face. "If I wear this, it will be just like before..."

**Meanwhile, at the wedding...**

The bride was in a room of the church, waiting and putting the final touches on her make-up, when the door opened and May walked in, wearing an identical dress and a thick veil to hide her face.

The startled bride began to speak, but May put a finger to her lips. "Sorry about this," she said gently, "but we need you to co-operate with us for the moment."

The door opened wider, and Karen, Chad and Ryan entered, dragging a protesting groom behind them, Tyson following in a full wedding suit.

"Please, hide back here," Karen said, leading the bride and groom through another door into a smaller room. "This for your own good; we'll explain later." Saying so, she closed the door behind them.

Tyson and May then quickly entered the church, where the wedding guests and the priest were waiting. Many of them wondered why the groom looked different, but a quick group-memory-alteration spell from Hikoma fixed that.

The priest began his speech, but neither Tyson nor May listened. They were on the alert for the sounds of incoming Nanashi, and hoping that the others had the back-up plan ready in case it was needed. The sound of clawed feet stomping outside reached their ears, and Tyson gave a small nod to May, who nodded back.

The doors burst open, and the Nanashi streamed in. Tyson and May turned and did their best to act panicked and scared. Some of the hideous soldiers grabbed May and dragged her away, May screaming in apparent hysteria. Others grabbed Tyson, who had to suppress his instinct to fight back, and they threw him to the ground. Still others sent the priest and guests fleeing in terror.

Finally, the Nanashi loaded May into the cart and ran off, jumping through a nearby crevice. Tyson, who had seemed to be unconscious on the ground, picked himself up and looked out the doors.

"I guess it worked then," he murmured, then turned as he heard Ryan running towards him. "What is it?" he asked, as Ryan stopped, gasping for breath.

Ryan paused, unsure of where to start. "Well... you see..." he said hesitantly. "It's like this..."

**Back at the forest hut...**

The Nanashi threw May to the ground, who looked up to see Tayu standing over her. "Welcome..." the Gedoushu said to her.

_That's Tayu! _May thought quickly. _I remember Tyson telling us about her! She's Lord Doukoku's second-in-command; I had no idea we were dealing with someone so high up!_

Tayu smiled evilly. "I wonder how I should welcome you here?" she hissed, leaning forwards. "Well? What do you think... _Strike Ranger?_"

May gasped in shock as Tayu ripped her veil off. _How did she know...? _She reached for her morpher, but Tayu was too quick for her; she twisted the Ranger's arm behind her back and wrenched the morpher from her grip.

"Did you really think you could fool me with such a pathetic trick?" Tayu sneered as May lay on the ground. "I saw you and the other Ranger brats buzzing around, so I used your trap against you to get the _real _bride!"

In horror, May saw another squad of Nanashi arrive, carrying the poor bride, her long hair that had been done up so nicely now messed up and covering her face, between them. They dragged her across the room and hurled her into the cocoon.

"No!" May cried, struggling to rise, but the other Nanashi held her down.

Laughing softly, Tayu clipped a strange little antenna-like object to May's morpher. She then flipped open the morpher and held it to May's ear. "Now it's your turn," she said. "I know you have the ability to lock onto morpher locations, but this device will re-direct the signal to somewhere else. Call up your Rangers friends, and they'll follow that signal right into a trap!"

"I won't!" May snapped back.

"Then the brides will die," Tayu replied in an even, careless tone. "Such a pity..."

May bowed her head, then spoke "Contact Morpher: Strike Red," the code that made her morpher call Tyson's. As it rang, Tayu laughed softly once more.

**Back at the church...**

Tyson's morpher rang, and he quickly answered it. "May, are you there with the other brides yet?" he asked.

"Yes," May replied in an oddly emotionless voice. "Lock onto my morpher, you'll be able to follow it straight to me."

"Got it," Tyson confirmed. He then sent a quick message to Alpha, who locked onto May's morpher and sent the location back to Tyson.

Tyson analyzed the information Alpha sent him, then turned to the other Rangers. "Come on, follow me!" he called to them, then they sprinted off.

**Several minutes later, at a warehouse out by the Tovern City docks...**

Tyson, Chad, Ryan and Karen, all already morphed, arrived at the location of May's signal. They gathered outside the door, Tyson checked his morpher to confirm they were in the right place, then they slid the doors open, ready to kick some Gedoushu butt.

But there was no-one there. No May, no brides, no Nanashi, no Ayakashi, no-one. Instead, the Rangers, to their horror, saw a bomb surrounded by fuel barrels and rigged to blow.

They had no chance to do anything; no time to call out, no time to turn and run. The bomb exploded in a massive fireball, obliterating everything in its path.

No-one, not even Rangers, could have survived that.

**Back at the forest hut...**

Tayu cackled with glee as she watched the warehouse go up in flames through a crevice. May simply stared, rigid with shock.

"The Rangers are finally no more!" Tayu almost sang with happiness. "Now no more annoying pests will show up, and I can finish my dress in peace!" She turned to the wedding dress on the wall, where threads from the cocoon were once again stitching themselves. She stroked her hand across it lovingly. "A dress stitched by the sorrow of brides that will never be!" she purred. "If I wear this, all the Gedoushu will fall before me..."

She then swivelled around to face May once more, her eyes burning with hate. "But you won't get to see it!" she hissed with pleasure. "Because this is where you die!"

She nodded to the Nanashi who surrounded the Ranger, who raised their blades in preparation to strike. May closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

But it never came. A small object, moving too fast to make out any details, streaked into the room, smashing the Nanashi's blades from their hands and sending the soldiers crashing to the floor. It then zipped at Tayu and, before the vile woman could act, snatched May's morpher from her hand and returned it to its rightful owner. May took it, smiling as she recognized the blur: _Tyson's Fire Lion!_

"_What?" _Tayu shrieked in disbelief, recognizing it as well. She turned to the door as Tyson, Ryan and Karen charged in, all completely unharmed.

"How did you find your way here?" Tayu snarled at them. "The signal was re-directed!"

"Oh, you're right, _my _morpher signal was directed." May said smugly, standing up. "But I was just a decoy! _You _fell into _our _trap! There was _two _morpher signals coming from this hut!"

"But how?" Tayu spat in fury. "Where was the other morpher?"

"Right here!" said a voice from the cocoon. Tayu turned in shock as a blade sliced the cocoon apart from the inside, revealing the brides. And standing at the front of the group, wielding a Ranger katana, wearing a wedding dress and wig, and looking furious and highly embarrassed at the same time... was _Chad!_

Chad glared at the other Rangers, who were trying very hard to stifle giggles. "Any of you laugh, and you'll end up like the cocoon!" he growled.

"I guess our back-up plan _did _work then!" Ryan said, remembering how they had switched Chad and the bride shortly after May and Tyson had left the room. The bride and groom had been safely returned home, and all memory of the incident had been wiped from their minds by Hikoma.

"But..." Tayu spluttered furiously. "The Rangers at the warehouse! If you weren't them, then what were they?"

"Simple shadow clones," Tyson replied flatly, glaring at Tayu. "The old man made them for us."

Tayu shook with fury as the brides fled from the hut, knocking over her precious silk dress as they went. "_How DARE you!" _she yelled at them, trying to follow, but finding her way blocked by the Rangers.

"You days of torturing brides are over, Tayu!" Karen said, she and the others whipping out their morphers. "This ends here!"

"_Silence!" _Tayu screamed, and she shot a massive energy ball from her mouth.

Luckily, the Rangers were too fast for her, and with a shout of **"SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they morphed, speeding outside as they did so, Tayu and her Nanashi following them.

She arrived outside to find herself and the foot soldiers surrounded by the five Rangers, blades drawn and slowly closing in.

"Strike Ranger Red, Tyson Shiba!"

"Strike Ranger Blue, Ryan Ikenami!"

"Strike Ranger Green, Chad Tani!"

"Strike Ranger Pink, May Shiraishi!"

"Strike Ranger Yellow, Karen Hanaori!"

"POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE!" the Rangers shouted together.

"_GET THEM!" _Tayu bellowed at the Nanashi, and the fight began, the Rangers slicing away at the foot soldiers, felling them one by one.

The fight quickly became spread out, the Rangers getting separated. May and Ryan, still fighting as they went, exited the forest into a nearby gully. But just as they took out the last of the Nanashi, energy balls smashed into them, blasting them backwards. Tayu had followed them.

"**Bushido Super Weapon! Water Bow!" **Ryan called out, his Katana transforming into his massive bow. Puling back the handle, he fired a barrage of arrows at Tayu, who easily jumped over them and landed in front of the Rangers.

"Unforgivable," she growled, pulling out her shamisen and plectrum as she walked towards them. "Absolutely unforgivable!"

Gripping their katanas tightly, May and Ryan charged her, but she was too agile. They could not land a single blow on her; Tayu easily blocked their strikes with her shamisen and countered with her razor-sharp plectrum.

She quickly wore them down and beat them back, but Rangers don't give up that easily. Ryan and May charged her again, but Tayu then pulled the neck of her shamisen from the body, revealing a long blade concealed inside. Seemingly in slow-motion, she struck both the Rangers with this blade, who cried out as they were hit and crumpled to the ground.

Tayu turned and sneered, watching as Ryan struggled to rise, May helping him weakly. The vile woman raised her blade once more. _"Die..." _she almost whispered, and readied a finishing blow.

But then Tyson leapt into the fray, blocking Tayu's blade with his own. He then began raining blows down on her, Tayu having a far harder time blocking his attacks that Ryan's or May's. She was slowing beaten back by Tyson's relentless attacks until she finally lost her temper. Shrieking at him, she fired energy balls from her mouth once more.

They looked like they would hit, but Chad and Karen arrived, deflecting the shots at the last minute. Ryan and May, now back on their feet, then stepped forward, charging their blades with elemental energy.

"**Double Elemental Blade, Maximum Power!" **they yelled **"Storm Hurricane!" **The two blades of energy blasted forth, Tayu only barely able to block them with her own blade. Although some of the energy was deflected, she took some damage, and staggered backwards.

"And now, to finish you!" Tyson said, summoning his Fire Buster Sword and clipping the Kabuto Disk to it. **"Ronin Disk Activated! Fire Buster Sword, Kabuto Bazooka Mode!"**

The Buster Sword transformed into its giant cannon mode, the Rangers each slotting their elemental disks into it. Tyson then took careful aim at Tayu, called out **"Kabuto Five-Disk Elemental Blast!" **and pulled the trigger. A massive sphere of bright light blasted forth and shot towards Tayu. She was still off-balance, and they was no way she could block it in time. It looked like it was all over for her.

Until the strange, bone-armoured being suddenly leapt in from nowhere, slicing the blast in two with his long, crimson katana, the two halves of the blast going either side of him, exploding harmlessly behind Tayu.

The Rangers were stunned by this unexpected appearance. "Who's this guy?" Chad asked, turning to Tyson, hoping he would know, but Tyson shrugged in reply; he was as confused as the rest of them.

The bone-armoured warrior lowered his blade, and stared directly at Tyson. "Are you the one?" he asked, pointing with his blade, the blade gleaming eerily in the sunlight. "The one calling to my Uramasa?"

Tyson frowned behind his visor, the other Rangers taking an unnerved step backwards. "What is he?" Karen said, gripping her katana in fear.

"Juzo..." Tayu said, also shocked by his appearance. "But... why?"

Juzo, for that was the bone-armoured warrior's name, turned to face her. "You should retreat for now," her said to her.

"What?" Tayu replied, outraged, but Juzo had turned back to face Tyson once more, replacing Uramasa in its sheath on his back.

"Someday, I will test your ability," he said to the Red Ranger. "Be ready for it." Saying so, he seized Tayu's arm and dragged her away.

"What, you think you can just leave?" Chad called after him. "I don't think so!"

Juzo turned back to them. "I have no wish to fight today, Green Ranger," he said to Chad.

"Like I care!" Chad shouted back, blade at the ready. "You're not escaping!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Tani," a new voice spoke from behind the Rangers, and they turned to see who it was.

Behind them stood a figure that seemed to be human, covered head-to-foot in a long, black cloak. His face was concealed by a smooth, black, featureless mask, so that only his eyes were visible. His hands were covered by black gloves, ending in dark red claws, matching his clawed boots.

The cloaked figure glanced at Tayu and Juzo. "Go," he said to them. "I will hold them off."

Juzo hesitated, then nodded, he and Tayu leaving the scene through a crevice.

The figure then turned his attention back to the Rangers. "I recommend that you leave now," he said to them. "Otherwise, I will have to..." he paused for a moment, "...hurt you..."

"Who are you?" Tyson asked him, pointing his blade at him.

The figure narrowed his eyes at the Red Ranger. "Why should I tell you that, Shiba?"

_He knows our names, _Chad thought, unnerved even more by this strange person.

"Because, if you don't," Tyson snapped in reply, "_I _will have to hurt _you!_"

"Very well then," the cloaked figure said. "I am Genta, the Shadow Ranger."

"The _Shadow _Ranger?" Karen said, stunned.

"What are you talking about?" Tyson shouted at him. "There are only five Rangers, each descended from a samurai clan. There was no sixth clan, and certainly no sixth Ranger."

"Oh really?" Genta replied mockingly. "Then how do you explain _this?" _Saying so, he reached into his cloak and pulled out... _a morpher!_

But this one was different than the others. Instead of orange, it was black, with tiny, glowing red symbols inscribed on it. Genta then flipped and folded the morpher into its brush mode, and drew the kanji for "shadow" in the air in front of him, then spun it around.

"_**SHADOW RANGER FORM, ACTIVATE!" **_he bellowed, and with a rumble of thunder, a bolt of black lightning and a blast of dark red flames, Genta morphed into the Shadow Ranger.

His Ranger form was similar to the others but with some major differences. It was completely black, with spiky, shoulder pads and clawed gloves and boots in a sinister dark red. The visor of the helmet was shaped like a open mouth of sharp teeth, and was red instead of the usual black. Glowing red lines ran down the arms and legs, and around the dark gold belt.

The Shadow Ranger drew his katana, which was also black and wickedly spiked. He then laughed, his voice now deeper and more sinister, almost a beast-like growl. "Ready or not, here I come!" he yelled, and charged towards the Rangers with astounding speed.

The Rangers fought back, but as fast as they were, Genta was faster. He blocked their attacks with ease, and struck back with his horrible blade. His strength was immense, and each blow he dealt hurt the Rangers badly. One by one, they were sent to the ground, de-morphed from the damage. Soon, only Tyson remained, barely blocking Genta's savage hits. Finally, his guard was knocked down, and Genta, cackling with glee, launched one final blow at Tyson's head, certain that this would finish it.

But suddenly, to both Tyson and Genta's utter bewilderment, the katana stopped dead, an inch from Tyson's helmet. Genta yelled in frustration and tried to move his arm, tried to finish the blow, but him arm refused to obey him. It was almost as if some other, unknown force was controlling it. Ever so slowly, with Genta struggling all the way, his arm lowered and his hand opened, dropping his katana to the ground.

Tyson, snapping out of his confusion, saw his chance. Spinning the disk on his katana, he channelled as much elemental energy into his blade as he could.** "Elemental Blade, Maximum Power!" **he yelled. **"Inferno Slash!"**

Genta saw the flaming blade coming at him, and, with his right arm out of commission, brought his left around to catch the blade in his hand, black electricity flickering around it.

The two of them stood there, Tyson pressing as hard as he could with his blade, Genta pushing back equally as hard with his hand. But Genta was just slightly stronger; then blade began to slowly tilt back towards Tyson. Genta laughed, seeing his victory ahead.

But then, it happened again. The black electricity coming from his hand stopped. In horror, Genta watched his left hand, completely out of his control, drop to his side, letting go of the blade. Tyson didn't hesitate; his flaming blade slammed into Genta, sending him flying backwards, de-morphing as he went.

Panting heavily, Genta picked himself up, glaring at Tyson through the eye-holes in his mask. "You may have won this round, Shiba," he snarled at him. "But I'll be back! And next time, I will kill you!" Saying so, he threw a black ball to the ground, which exploded into a dense cloud of dark red smoke. When it cleared, Genta the Shadow Ranger had gone.

**Later that day, in Tovern City...**

"Who were those guys?" Chad said to the others as they walked along.

"I'm not sure," Tyson replied, deep in thought. "I think I may have read something about Juzo in the family records; I'll have to double-check to be sure. But I'm positive that there has only been five samurai clans, and only five Rangers. I have no idea where this Genta came from, or where he got that morpher from."

"My guess is that Lord Doukoku gave it to him," May suggested. "He does seem to be one of his followers."

"Perhaps," Tyson nodded. "But that does still not explain how Doukoku was able to create a morpher of his own..."

"Well, either way, it seems we have two new enemies," Ryan said. "We'd better be ready for them when they come again."

The others nodded in reply, serious expressions on their faces, thinking of the tough times ahead. Then Chad smiled. "Hey, don't forget! Today wasn't a complete loss!" he said to them. "We rescued those kidnapped brides, didn't we?"

Karen grinned, nodding in agreement. "That's right!" she replied. "And it was all thanks to Chad the bride!"

Chad shuddered, glad he was out of that dress and back into his own clothes. "I thought we agreed to never mention that again!"

"Oh, I don't know," Ryan sniggered, patting him on the back. "I think it rather suited you!"

"You shut your face!" Chad yelled at him, grabbing Ryan in a headlock, the two of them grappling with each other as they walked down the road.

May watched them with a sad smile. Karen noticed this and turned to her. "Are you okay?" she asked her. "Are you still worried about Juzo and Genta?"

May grimaced in reply. "Well, yes, that, and also..." She sighed heavily. "I was just remembering and old Japanese saying, that if you wear a wedding dress before your wedding day, you'll never get married." She smiled sadly again. "I've now worn two, so if that's true, I'm in trouble."

Karen smiled in return. "Those were fake, they didn't count!" she answered. "You'll be fine, I promise!"

May smiled, unable to resist Karen's bubbly personality. The two of them happily chased after Chad and Ryan and tried to break the fight up, leaving Tyson alone with his thoughts.

_Juzo and Genta, _he mused. _The are both strong opponents. If they both fight for Lord Doukoku, defeating them won't be easy. _Another thought then occurred to him. _It's true today's mission was a success, but we are still no closer to finding out where they took Graydon then we were before. I sure hope he's alright._

"Tyson!" The boy was broken out of his reverie by Karen, who was happily pointing down the road. "The others and I found a cake shop! They've got all kinds of cakes! You should come and buy some with us! We can celebrate our plan's success!"

"Sure," Tyson replied, smiling at her, and she ran back to the others. _I guess there's no point in worrying about it, _he thought. _We'll just have to train even harder that before. _He clenched his fist and stared into the sky. _Don't worry Graydon! Wherever you are, we'll rescue you!_

"Tyson, come on!" May called to him, she and Karen waving to get his attention. "Chad and Ryan will get all the best ones if you don't hurry!"

"Okay, I'm coming!" Tyson replied, and ran down the road to the others, blocking his worries from his head, and simply happy to have fun with the others.

The future would be tough, he knew. But, for now, they were at peace.

**END CHAPTER TEN**

Who is the mysterious Genta, and where does his power come from? Who is the even more mysterious Juzo, and how is he connected to Lord Doukoku? And where is Graydon? Will the other Rangers be able to rescue him? Tune into the next exciting chapter of POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE to find out!

Well, I've _finally _got this one finished! I was determined to get it finished by Christmas, and I did! Woo! Hope you guys enjoyed it! (And I hope the Shinkenger fans don't hate me too much for deviating from the Sentai plot by a rather large margin!)

For those who like the Megazord fights, I apologise for not including one this chapter. The only thing the Megazord fought in the Sentai version of this chapter were a bunch of giant Nanashi. Since I already cut the giant Nanashi fight from Chapter Four, it wouldn't make sense to throw one in here out of nowhere.

Once again, all reviews, good or bad, are welcome. I'm sure if I keep asking, I'll get one eventually! Seriously, though, I haven't got a review since Chapter 5, so I don't know what people think of the later chapters. People are still reading them though, so I guess you like them. Any feedback, anything you would like to see in later chapters, feel free to tell me!

Also, I now have a Facebook page! Just search for Crazm Andorand (I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one!) and send me a friend request (I'll be sure to accept!), then send me any reviews, suggestions or questions for me or any of the characters. If I get enough questions, I might make a special chapter to answer them all!

So, until next time, may the Power protect you! See you in 2012!


	11. Chapter 11: Eye of the Tiger

I DO NOT own Super Sentai or Power Rangers.

Okay, had some trouble with this chapter, but I really shouldn't have taken SEVEN MONTHS to get this out! I apologise to all the people who were looking forward to this chapter, but wait no longer, it's here! Enjoy!

**POWER RANGERS SAMURAI STRIKE**

_Chapter 11: Eye of the Tiger_

_I awoke._

_I do not recall being asleep beforehand, but waking was the best way to describe what I did._

_As the world around me slowly came into focus, I noticed that something was a bit... odd._

_For starters, I was not lying on my bed in my room, as I expected to be. The room I was in was entirely unfamiliar to me. The circular floor was covered in dull brown tiles, arranged in a spiral pattern. The walls were black, spaced evenly around them with dark red pillars, holding up the domed ceiling, which was hidden behind black fog._

_In the middle of the spiralled floor stood a black plinth, into which a sword had been inserted. A black-cloaked figure stood before it, head bowed, facing away from me, not moving a muscle._

_Oh, and I was also chained to the wall behind me, with black manacles that crackled with dark energy. They bound me so tightly, only my head could move._

_Yeah, that part was definitely odd._

_I groaned and shook my head, trying to clear the fog inside it. The figure at the plinth raised his head, and slowly turned to face me. Underneath his hood, his face was masked (black, of course; this seemed to be his favourite colour.)_

"_Ah, so you've awoken," he said, his voice a mixture of irritation and curiosity. It sounded familiar, but I could not place it._

"_I figured it would only be a matter of time," the masked man continued. "I have been detecting interference from you for a while now, though I guess it was only subconsciously." _

_I did not understand what he was talking about. Moving my lips weakly, I managed to force out a question. "Who... are you?"_

_The masked man let out a short laugh that was utterly devoid of mirth. "So, you're even able to talk are you? I'm impressed," he replied. "Fine, I'll indulge your curiosity. My name is Genta. And I guess you could call me... your host. Or perhaps, more appropriately, your jailer."_

_The man called Genta slowly walked forwards, until he stood right in front of me. "Although, I think," he said, with a hint of sinister amusement in his voice, "your question would be more usefully directed at yourself. I bet you don't even remember your own name, do you?"_

_My name? Of course I know my name! My name is..._

_...my name is..._

_...what is my name?_

**Tovern City, morning...**

Black lightning exploded outwards, and Ryan was blasted off his feet, crashing into the ground. The other Rangers ran towards him, calling out his name.

"Damn it..." he muttered, struggling to pick himself up as Genta the Shadow Ranger strode towards them.

"You're all so pathetic," he laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Why don't you just give up now and stop wasting my time?"

"Like that's gonna happen!" Chad yelled, and he charged forward, blade held high, the others following him.

Genta grinned behind his visor. "I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied, blocking Chad's first attack with ease. "Surrendering would take all the fun out of it!"

Even with Ryan out of the fight, there were still four Rangers left. Against any normal opponent, they would have had the clear upper hand. However, Genta was no normal opponent. He seemed to be able to read their moves perfectly, knowing just when to block or dodge, even avoiding moves he couldn't have possibly seen coming. Even in a four-on-one fight, the Ranger's didn't stand a chance.

One by one, they fell back, staggering from his vicious blows. Then, Genta suddenly charged forwards, toward Ryan, who had managed to get back on his feet, but not for long. The evil Ranger slammed his fist into Ryan's helmet, sending him crashing to the ground again.

Genta chuckled with malicious joy, then reached down into Ryan's belt buckle... and pulled out the Kajiki Spirit Disk. "This looks important!" he cackled with glee, turning it over in his hands. As he held it, the teal-coloured disk began to darken until it turned black.

"That can't be good..." Chad said to the others.

"He's taken control of the Kajiki Spirit!" Tyson replied, enraged. In his anger, he changed his katana into the Fire Buster Sword and swung a murderous overhead strike at Genta. For a moment, it looked like it would connect, but it suddenly stopped dead. Tyson's eyes widened in shock behind his visor. He could not believe what he was seeing.

Genta had blocked the enormous blade _with one hand._

"Nice try, Tyson," he sneered. "You almost had me there!" With a contemptuous laugh, he shoved the giant blade back towards Tyson, who staggered backwards.

Genta then placed the black-tainted Kajiki Disk into his own belt. "But, I think I've had enough fun for now," he continued. "I'll see you later!" And with a wave of his hand, he disappeared in a cloud of dark red smoke.

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

"Juzo Fuwa," Lord Doukoku said, almost spat, as he glared at the bone-armoured warrior who stood before him. "What is a stray like you doing here?"

Juzo glanced at his surroundings, judging the situation. To Doukoku's left stood Tayu, her large helmet hiding most of her face, making it hard to read her mood. To the demon lord's right stood Shitari, the squid-headed wizard, his eyes narrowed. Waves of hostility came from all three of them. Juzo was clearly not welcome here.

Doukoku leaned back in his low seat. "It seems I owe you for saving Tayu, anyway," he continued lazily.

"Save me?" Tayu snapped. "I could have handled them easily-"

"I did not come here to talk about that," Juzo interupted, his quiet voice silencing her. He stared at Doukoku, then turned away. "To get to the point, I am thinking of attacking the Red Ranger. So I came to tell you that."

"Oh?" Doukoku replied, rising from his seat and stepping slowing towards the warrior. "Why waste your time reporting to me? Just do it."

Juzo turned to face the demon. "The Red Ranger is a descendant of one of the five samurai clans," he said slowly. "The ones who sealed you away in this dimension."

Doukoku laughed, a deep grunt devoid of mirth. "So what?" he replied, striding back to his seat. "He may be a problem now, but when the Sanzu River rises, I'll send him to the bottom of it. _That _will be my revenge."

"I see," Juzo murmured, taking a few paces across the deck of the ship. "So you have nothing planned."

"What are you getting at?" Doukoku growled, his eyes narrowing angrily.

"Nothing," Juzo replied, as he strode towards the railing. "I thought that acting on my own may have inconvenienced you." He turned back as he reached the railing. "But it seemed I was worried about nothing," he added contemptuously.

As they glared at one another, there was a splash from the river, and an Ayakashi climbed aboard. This monster had a black, scaly body, with a string of large red beads wrapped round his torso. His shiny blue head protruded from the centre of a large shell-like helmet, and he carried a long whip in one clawed hand and a large shield shaped like an eye in the other.

The Ayakashi sneered at Juzo as it clambered over the railing. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he hissed in a slimy voice. "You're just a bit-player, so back off! I'm the star!"

"Hitomidama!" Shitari shouted as he ran forward. "We don't need you right now!"

"What?" the Ayakashi snapped in reply, waving his scaly hand a Juzo. "You summon this stray but not me? I'm insulted!" He crossed his arms petulantly, and huffed in annoyance. "I even heard you have your own Ranger to call your own now, and you didn't even ask me to help!" he continued to whine. "Well I never!"

Having heard enough from this jumped-up fool, Juzo leapt overboard in the river and swam to shore.

"Ah, wait!" Shitari called after him, but Hitomidama laughed in contempt.

"Forget him!" he said, grabbing the wizard's arm and turning him to face him. "I've got something really great to show you!"

Saying so, he raised his whip into the air, and brought it down with a loud cracking. Instantly, a deafening roar sounding from the shore, attracting their attention. Tayu saw the source of the roar, and her hand leapt to her mouth in awe. "That's... Don't tell me that's...!" she gasped, scarcely believing her eyes.

"Yes!" Hitomidama replied in a hiss of pleasure, staring at the giant figure on the shore. "The Tori Spirit!"

**Later that morning, at Shiba Manor...**

The Rangers were gathered in Graydon's room. Since his disappearance, it had become their de facto meeting area, as it was the easiest way for Alpha to join in on their conversations.

"This is bad," Tyson said, as he paced back and forth across the room. "Genta is getting stronger every time we fight him."

"And now he has the Kajiki Spirit on his side, too," Ryan added miserably. The loss had hit him hard. It was like a piece of himself was missing.

"So what?" Karen replied angrily. "We can't just give up! We need to beat him!"

"Easier said that done," May countered. "Even with all five of us against him, we can't even scratch him. It's like he can read our moves perfectly."

"We have to keep training ourselves," Ryan said, standing up from where he sat. "Genta was here this morning, and he tends to space out his attacks. He shouldn't appear again until-"

He got no further, as alarm bells suddenly sounded throughout the manor. "So much for any free time to train," Tyson said, turning to the computer screens on the wall. "Alpha, what have you got?" he asked the AI. "Genta again?"

"Not this time," Alpha replied, his disk-like head lighting up as he ran through the information he was receiving. "It's an Ayakashi I'm picking up on; a strong one."

"Damn!" Tyson snapped, turning to the other Rangers. "Doukoku clearly isn't giving us time to rest up. We'd better get out there."

As one, the Rangers sprinted from the room, pulling out their morphers as they went.

**Meanwhile, at the Tovern City park...**

Civilians fled in terror as Hitomidama strode through them, cracking his whip as he went. "Run! Run!" he cackled with glee. "Run some more!"

"Stop right there, vile Ayakashi!" he heard a voice shout, and the monster turned to see the Rangers standing before him. Together, they flipped and folded their morphers into brush mode, and drew their kanji symbols in the air in front of them.

"**SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they yelled in unison, and with a rainbow flash, a thunderclap, and an explosion thrown in for good measure, they morphed into the Strike Rangers.

"Well met, Power Rangers!" Hitomidama sneered, brandishing his whip at them. "I am Sanzu River's most powerful member!" With quick foot work, he did a flip in the air and struck a pose as he landed. "I am... Hitomidama!"

"You say you're the strongest?" Chad replied, unimpressed. "You're just a small fry."

"Shut up!" the Ayakashi snarled. "Let's see how 'small fry' I am after you see this!" He cracked his whip in the air, and the ground buckled and exploded behind him, and from the hole came a giant creature.

It was a snow-white beast, with its four legs stretched out in front and behind its elongated body, spinning like drills, cone-shaped with claws on the end. Its eyes glowed red over a large mouth filled with vicious looking teeth. It ran along the ground on a giant wheel that went through its body.

"No! Impossible!" Tyson gasped, dropping his guard in shock. "It's the Tora Ronin Spirit Zord!"

"Tora?" May replied, who knew some Japanese. "You mean white tiger?"

"A white tiger Zord?" Chad said, surprised. "You mean like Tommy's-"

"Not that one!" Tyson snapped back. "A different one! But how did that Ayakashi get control of it?"

"How indeed!" Hitomidama called to them. "During the final battle with Lord Doukoku that sealed him away, the Tora Spirit was injured and caught in the spell, trapped between dimensions, unable to escape through the crevices. I found him and saved him, and now he's like my pet dog. Or," he corrected, grinning evilly, "I should say, my pet _tiger!_"

"How could you!" Karen cried. "You've enslaved him, turned him evil against his will!"

"Don't worry!" Chad reassured her. "We'll just break the spell on him, then we can retrieve him like the other Ronin Spirits!"

"That's impossible! My spell is perfect! Unbreakable!" the Ayakashi replied. "Here, let me show you!" His face suddenly glowed purple with energy.

Seeing what was coming, Ryan leapt forward. _"Chad! Get down!" _he shouted, slamming the green Ranger aside as a purple blast of energy lanced from Hitomidama's face and smashed into, not Chad, who was his target, but Ryan instead.

The Ranger howled as the blast hit him, and he felt energy surge through his body. He toppled forwards, and the last thing he heard was Hitomidama's cackle of triumph before everything went black.

"Ryan!" May screamed as she ran towards him. "Are you okay?"

At first, he didn't move, and she feared the worst, but he began to rise, and she relaxed.

"Thank goodness, you're-" she began, but suddenly, Ryan's katana shot round and slammed into her helmet, sending her reeling back.

Stunned, May lay where she had fallen as Ryan rose to his feet and turned to face her. His movements didn't look right, like he was a puppet on invisible strings, and when she saw his visor, it glowed with a purple sheen.

"May, get back!" Tyson yelled to her. "He's being controlled!"

An inhuman growl emanated from Ryan as he turned to face the other Rangers, his movements becoming smoother as the Ayakashi gained better control.

"What a shame!" Hitomidama sighed, as Ryan raised his sword. "I only got one measly Ranger!" He then shrugged. "Guess he'll have to do!" He cracked his whip again. _"Go!" _he commanded, and Ryan shot forward, blade held high.

He crashed into May and Chad, and swung with vicious blows, which they blocked desperately. After Tyson and Karen, he was their best fighter, and with hind mind fogged by evil intent, he was going all out.

"Ryan, snap out of it!" Chad cried, as he grabbed the mad Ranger, trying to pin his arms to his sides. Ryan shook him off and slammed the two aside. He then charged at Karen, Tyson running to intercept him.

It looked like they would collide, but at the last second, Tyson jumped over Ryan, his foot impacting on Ryan's helmet as went, sending the blue Ranger to the ground. Ignoring him, Tyson instead charged at Hitomidama, pulling out his brush-mode morpher as he went.

"You want to be controlled too?" the Ayakashi laughed. "Sure, go ahead!" The purple blast shot forth once more, but Tyson inscribed a symbol in the air in front of him, forming a red barrier, absorbing the shot.

Startled by this turn of events, Hitomidama barely had enough time to raise his shield to block Tyson's strike. His successfully parried the next two blows, but them the Ranger ducked low and slashed at his belly, sending him toppling backwards.

"Damn you!" the monster snarled, slamming his fist into the ground in fury. He turned to the giant Zord behind him. "Tora!" he shouted. "Get the Red Ranger!"

The white tiger Zord roared, and a burst of energy surged forth, Tyson barely dodging it.

Meanwhile, Chad, Karen and May were desperately trying to get Ryan under control, but he was keeping them at bay with an amazing display of swordsmanship.

_Incredible, _Karen caught herself thinking as she slashed and parried. _I always knew that Ryan was __holding back during our sparring sessions, but I never realised how much. He's better than me! __He's almost as good as Tyson! _Karen frowned behind her visor. _We may have a bit of a problem here._

Ryan smashed them back and spun the disk on his katana. With another horrible snarl, masses of blue energy surged up the blade, and he swung it forwards, the energy blasting outward in a massive wave. It slammed into them, catapulting them backwards, de-morphing as they went.

"Excellent work!" Hitomidama cackled, parrying another strike from Tyson. "This is getting more and more interesting!"

"No!" Tyson yelled, disengaging from his fight and running to the others. He flipped open his morpher and hit the button for Alpha. "Get us out of here!" he shouted into it.

"_You got it!" _the AI replied, and with a flash of light, Tyson, Chad, May and Karen were teleported away, leaving Ryan and Hitomidama staring at where they had been.

"What the heck?" the Ayakashi whined bitterly, walking over. "It was just getting good, too!" He then shrugged. "Oh well, I'm just about out of water anyway."

He turned to Ryan. "You, blue boy," he pointed to him. "Stay here with the Tora Zord."

Ryan nodded, and slid his katana back into his belt. He would obey any command the Ayakashi gave him. The monster grinned, and then walked away, leaving Ryan standing perfectly still, waiting for his next order.

**Back at the Shiba Manor...**

"This situation is bad," Hikoma said heavily, as the Rangers tended to their wounds. "Not only do the Gedoushu have two Zords on their side now, they have two Rangers as well."

"And with Genta stealing the Kajiki, we're down one Zord and Ranger," Chad groaned, rubbing his back.

"Two Zords, if you count Ryan's Dragon Zord as well," Karen corrected him sadly. "With them controlling him, they probably have access to it."

"Without that, we can't even form the Megazord," May added, and they all realised this was true.

"There is a small chance of hope..." Hikoma suggested, and they all glanced at him. "I have done some research," he explained, "and it is possible, but very difficult, to break Hitomidama's spell."

"How?" Chad asked. "I don't care how hard it is, we'll do it!" May and Karen nodded in agreement. Tyson, who sat to the side, eyes closed and head lowered, did not respond.

Hikoma stroked his chin with his finger, and thought for a moment. "If you focused enough elemental energy into Ryan, it could theoretically disrupt the spell and cause it to break. It would have to be via direct contact, though, through a hand or katana blade."

"So we'd have to get close enough to him to make contact," Chad concluded, "which would mean we'd have to fight him again."

"If all four of us go against him, one of us should be able to get him," Karen said, hope in her voice.

"No," Tyson spoke at last, raising his head. The others turned to him surprised. "Hitomidama's spell is strong, and only I would have enough elemental energy to break him free."

"But, with all four of our energies, we could-" May tried to reason, but Tyson cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"If all four of us surged him with energy, it could do some serious damage," he snapped, losing patience. "It could even kill him if you weren't careful."

"But-" Chad started, and Tyson rose to his feet, his furious expression silencing any argument Chad had.

"This conversation is over!" he thundered. "I fight Ryan alone! I am the only one with accurate-enough control over my element to free him! You are all still beginners at element control! Do you _want _to accidently kill Ryan?"

"Well... no but-"

"Then that's that!" Tyson finished, and he stormed out of the room, slamming the sliding door behind him, almost breaking it.

Stunned, the other Rangers looked at each other. "What's the matter with him?" Karen said, confused. "He's almost like he used to be, back when we first joined."

"He's angry with himself," Hikoma explained. "He puts protecting you ahead of his own protection, and he sees this as a failure of his."

"But, it's not really his fault!" Chad argued. "It's that Ayakashi's fault!"

Hikoma nodded. "He knows that, but he still berates himself for not being able to protect Ryan." He smiled. "Give him time; he'll calm down."

"I sure hope so..." May replied, staring at the door Tyson had left though.

**Meanwhile, in the Gedoushu dimension...**

"Ah, that's so much better!" Hitomidama sighed as he clambered aboard the Rokumon.

"You did pretty well," Doukoku said to him, relaxing as Tayu played her shamisen. "You even obtained us another Ranger."

"There is nothing I cannot control!" the Ayakashi bragged, strutting across the deck.

"If he's under your control, have him kill himself or something," Tayu said, as she continued to play. "That leaves us with one less Ranger to worry about."

Hitomidama huffed in annoyance. "You sure don't know how to draw out the fun, do you?" he sneered. "Forcing someone to do something they would never do – such as attack their friends – is incredible amounts of fun!" He bowed towards Doukoku. "Please watch, my lord! More entertainment awaits!" And, giggling evilly, he dived over the side into the river.

Tayu gladly watched him leave. "He's so cocky," she muttered. "Puppetry is merely an entertainer's nonsense."

"It doesn't matter what method is used," Doukoku replied gruffly. "As long as the Sanzu River rises, I couldn't care less what he did."

"I can't help but be bothered by Juzo, though," Shitari added. "If he has a plan involving the Red Ranger, why hasn't he done it yet? And what is his plan?"

**That night, in the forest...**

"Foolish Doukoku," Juzo said to himself as he strode through the forest, his armoured feet crushing leaves and sticks as he walked. "I'm surprised that he is not aware of it. But..." he stopped walking as he stared into the sky, "there is no reason for me to tell him. That would just cause problems for me."

A sudden wind went though the forest, whistling as it blew against his skeletal amour. Slowly, he drew his long, crimson-backed blade from its scabbard on his back, and held it over his head.

"Hey, Uramasa," he whispered to the sword, as if he expected it to reply. "If I don't have a fight that satisfies me completely... there is no reason for me to return to the Sanzu River alive."

He returned the blade to its scabbard and marched on. As he did, the air swirled around him obscuring him from view. When it receded, he had changed.

He was human, a young man, with long, wild hair and a short beard. He wore a long white coat over a black shirt, dark red trousers and black boots. His sword was no longer slung over his back, but was at his belt. His face set in a grim expression, he continued on.

**The next day, in a construction site on the outskirts of Tovern city...**

Construction workers ran screaming as Hitomidama chased them, whipping away as he went, laughing with glee. Ryan stood nearby in his blue Ranger suit, completely still, devoid of all will.

Then Tyson appeared in front of the Ayakashi, morpher at the ready, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do.

Hitomidama cackled. "I was waiting for you to show up!" he grinned. "By yourself, are you? The others too afraid to show their faces?"

Tyson ignored him and focused on Ryan. The blue Ranger showed no signs that he recognized him.

"Ryan," Tyson whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Make sure you fight for real! Go all out!" the Ayakashi sneered. "If you don't, I'll have blue boy here off himself, clear?"

Tyson nodded, as Chad, May and Karen ran up behind him.

"Tyson!" Chad shouted at him. "I know you want to fight him alone, but that doesn't mean you have to leave us behind!"

Tyson nodded. "Remember," he said to them, "no interference. I fight alone." He turned back to Hitomidama. "Ayakashi," he called to him. "Don't worry. I will fight for real." He eyes narrowed angrily. "And when I'm done, you're next!"

With a flick of his wrist he drew his symbol in the air and morphed. Drawing his sword and resting it on his shoulder, he and Ryan slowly walked towards each other, circling as he went.

Meanwhile, hidden away in the scaffolding where they couldn't see him, Genta grinned as he watched the proceedings. "This is getting good!" he said, his masked raised just far enough so he could eat popcorn from the box he was holding. He glanced at the glowing crevice beside him, through which Shitari was watching. "You sure I can't fight the others while Tyson's distracted?"

"_Only if Hitomidama fails," _Shitari's voice came through the crevice. _"If he does, you have full authorisation to take them out."_

"Fine," Genta replied, disappointed as he dug around in the box for more popcorn. "Hey, I bet twenty bucks that Tyson wins."

There was silence for a moment, then Genta heard Shitari say _"No deal."_

He grunted, picking a bit of kernel from his teeth. "You probably don't have any money, anyway," he muttered.

Down below, the fight began. Ryan and Tyson ran at each other, and their swords clashed, sparks flying where they met. Their blades flashed in arcs of light as they sliced, slashed, lunged and parried, neither of them gaining the upper hand, perfectly matched.

"Damn it, Ryan, snap out of it!" Chad muttered. "Can't you tell that's Tyson you're fighting?"

"Please, Ryan," Karen begged, tears forming. "Open your eyes!"

Ryan caught one of Tyson's strikes on his blade, and shoved him backwards. Charging his blade with blue energy, he slammed it into Tyson, blasting him to the ground. Tyson struggling to his feet, barely managing to block Ryan's blows.

"Ryan, stop it!" May screamed, and Hitomidama, tired of them, swivelled to face them.

"Shut up, you annoying brats!" he yelled, and bolts of energy shot from his shield, blasting them back.

As they struggled to their feet, they heard a voice above them say "Well, this fight is already decided."

Surprised, the looked up to see Juzo in his human from walking towards them, watching the fight. Of course, none of them recognised him. "Who are you?" Chad grunted as he got to his feet.

Juzo's eyes glanced at him, before returning to the battle. "My name does not matter," he replied evenly. "More importantly, he's just about finished."

"No way!" Karen snapped at him. "There is no way Tyson could lose!"

"I was not talking of him," Juzo replied. "It's the blue one who's finished."

"What do you mean?" May asked, curious as to what this stranger knew that they didn't.

Juzo spoke, his eyes never leaving the battle. "This fight was over before it began. Hitomidama may have control over the blue one, and he may be fighting all out, but the Ayakashi has no knowledge of finer swordplay. He's merely making Ryan fight all-out with massive power. But like that, the blue one will soon tire. But I see that Shiba is holding back, saving his strength. See how he rests his sword whenever he backs out of the fight?"

The Rangers watched, and they saw Juzo was right. Every time Tyson disengaged and backed up, ready to enter the fight again, he rested the blade on his shoulder, just as he had at the beginning of the fight.

"He's doing that to minimize arm fatigue, to save his energy for when it matters," Juzo continued. "He's waiting for the blue one to tire and make a mistake, and that's when he'll strike."

And as they watched, they saw that Ryan was indeed starting to slow down, his moves getting sloppier, while Tyson remained fresh and started to gain the upper hand.

And then, it was over. Ryan put a bit too much power behind one stroke, and as Tyson deflected it, he lost his balance and stumbled. Quick as lightning, Tyson's sword edge was pressed against Ryan's chest, cracking with red energy.

"**Elemental Blade, Controlled Burst!" **Tyson intoned. **"Spell Cracker!"**

Red energy shot through Ryan's body, making him thrash about. For a moment, it seemed that Tyson had gone too far, but then Ryan stopped, and a great cloud of purple smoke erupted from his body and floated away, and the purple sheen on his visor vanished. De-morphing, he collapsed to the ground, the other Rangers running over to him.

Juzo remained where he was, watching Tyson as he lowered his blade. "I thought so," he murmured. "That skill... My eyes did not deceive me." With one last glance, he turned and walked away. His match with the Red Ranger could wait for another day.

"Ryan!" Karen called out, shaking Ryan's unconscious form. "Ryan, wake up!"

Slowly, his eyes opened to see Karen anxiously bending over him. "Karen...?" he asked, confused. "What's gong on, what...?"

May's face moved into view, smiling. "You're back to normal!" she sighed with relief.

"What?" Ryan replied, even more confused. "Why wouldn't I be? Why can't I remember anything?"

He heard a high-pitched squealing, and Karen and May turned, moving so that he could see Hitomidama, shrieking and shaking with fury. _"You cheater!" _he screamed at Tyson. "You had that planned from the beginning, didn't you!"

"I do remember _him, _though," Ryan commented darkly, as the others helped him to his feet.

"C'mon, let's take him down!" Chad grinned at him. Ryan smiled, nodded in return, and together they pulled out their morphers, drew their symbols, and with a cry of **"SAMURAI STRIKE! BLADES UNITE!" **they morphed, and stood alongside Tyson, ready for battle.

"_Tora! CRUSH THEM!" _Hitomidama roared, cracking his whip, and the mighty Tora Zord appeared once more.

Tyson turned his head towards the others. "You take care of the Ayakashi," he said. "I'll deal with the Tora Spirit in my Fire Lion Zord."

The other Rangers nodded and ran forward to intercept Hitomidama, as Tyson pulled out his fire talisman.

"**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **he called out and the talisman expanded and transformed into the Fire Lion Zord, Tyson teleporting inside.

"Let's go!" he shouted, and the Lion Zord charged forward, the Tora Zord turning to meet it head-on. The Lion slashed with its claws at the Tora's face, and it retaliated by ramming its spinning, drill-like front limbs into the Lion's sides, forcing it back.

Tyson focused. "Okay, let's try this!" he said, and the Lion leapt high and zipped around to the Tora's side, slamming it sideways. The Tora Zord was strong head-on, but as it only ran on one big wheel, it was a simple matter to topple it from the side.

The Tora struggled to get up, as the Lion clawed at its exposed underside, weakening it. Finally, the Tora's glowing red eyes flickered and went out. Knowing it was time, Tyson teleported out of the Lion's control room, and clambered into the Tora.

When he reached the control room, he went straight to the control panel in the centre. Once there, he clipped a white Recovery Disk – which Alpha had supplied him with – onto his katana. He then reversed the sword and plunged it into the slot in the control panel. Red energy surged forth, crackling through the entire control room.

"Tora Ronin Spirit!" Tyson cried out, as he poured every ounce of elemental energy he ad into the Tora Zord. "Break free of your bonds! Return to your true master once more!" The energy built and built, and the spell finally broke, purple smoke bursting from the Tora Zord as its eyes lit back up and it rose back on its wheel. The disk on Tyson's sword, while keeping its white colour, gained symbols around its edge, depicting the Tora's mighty jaws opening and closing.

The Tora Ronin Spirit was once again on the Power Ranger's side!

Meanwhile, Hitomidama was crumbling under the constant blows from the other Rangers. He wasn't really a strong fighter; he usually just controlled someone else to do his fighting for him. Suddenly he heard a roar behind him, and turned to see the Tora Zord, now no longer under his control.

"It can't be!" he yelped in fear, cowering before this mighty beast. "They got you too?"

"That's right!" Ryan called to him, and the Ayakashi turned to face them again as Ryan, May, Karen and Chad spun the disks on their katanas, charging them with elemental energy.

"**Elemental Blades, Maximum Power!" **they shouted in unison, slamming their blades into Hitomidama's chest. **"Four-Sided Strike!"**

The four elements coursed through the Ayakashi's body. He screamed, toppled and exploded in a shower of sparks.

"Man, that felt good!" Ryan said, glad to get his revenge.

"_It's not over yet, though," _Tyson replied from inside the Tora Zord. _"Here comes the second life!"_

And sure enough, a thunderclap and a blast of smoke heralded the arrival of Hitomidama's second life, as he expanded to the size of a skyscraper. "You damn traitor!" he screamed at the Tora Zord, who he now towered over.

Tyson charged the Tora Zord at the giant Ayakashi, its drills slamming into the shield, badly damaging it. The Tora Zord then drilled at the ground under Hitomidama's feet, causing him to fall over.

"You cur!" the Ayakashi whined. "Don't you remember you owe me for saving you?"

"It's Megazord time!" Chad said, as he and the others pulled out their talismans.

"**Origami, Come Forth! Zord Mode!" **they shouted, and their Zords burst forth. Tyson, teleporting back inside the Lion Zord, pulled out his morpher and inscribed the 'combine' symbol in the air.

"**Zords, Combine! Megazord Formation Activate!" **he called out, and the Zords flew together to form the Megazord, the lion becoming the torso and head, the monkey and turtle forming the arms, the dragon and bear becoming the legs. **"Formation Complete! StrikeBlade Megazord!"**

The Megazord walked forwards to stand next to the Tora Zord, and Tyson span the new Tora Ronin Disk on his sword. **"Tora Zord! Initiate Megazord Armament Form!"**

The Tora Zord flew into the air and split apart. The torso with its legs twisted and turned, and then bolted on the the back of the Megazord, creating a backpack-like object with four massive drills coming from the top, sitting on the shoulders. The Megazord removed its helmet and the head of the Tora Zord landed to replace it, the Megazord's face looking out through the mouth, framed by the tiger's vicious teeth.

"**Armament Complete!" **Tyson called out as the new Megazord struck a pose. **"ToraStrike Megazord!"**

"You think that scares me?" Hitomidama yelled. "Eat this!" He then fired more blasts from his shield, but the dents the Tora Zord put in it had damaged it badly, and the shots went way off course.

The Megazord drew its enormous katana and slashed at the Ayakashi. The monster blocked the blows with the badly damaged shield, but eventually the shield was knocked out of his hands and smashed to pieces.

"And now to finish you!" Tyson called out, spinning the Tora Disk once more. The drills on the Megazord's shoulders span at high speed and the Megazord rocketed forward towards the Ayakashi.

"**Tora Finishing Strike!" **the Rangers yelled.** "Giga Drill Breaker!"**

The Megazord crashed into Hitomidama, drilling a massive hole straight through him. The monster screamed as he crackled all over, fell to the ground and finally exploded, finishing him off for good.

"Samurai Strike, mission complete!" the Rangers cheered.

"_NOT YET, IT'S NOT!" _a voice yelled, and something slammed into the back of the Megazord, throwing it to the ground, flinging the Rangers out as it split up, shrinking back down into its individual talismans.

"What the _hell _was that?" Chad yelled, picking himself up.

"_It was ME!" _the all-too-familiar voice replied and the Kajiki Zord, tainted black in colour, flew in, Genta jumping out as it landed, returning it to its disk.

"Genta!" Tyson spat, as the masked man morphed into the evil Shadow Ranger. "Not you again!"

"What kind of welcome is that?" Genta replied, in a mock-insulted voice, then laughed.

"_That's it!" _Tyson snapped. "I have had enough of you guys today!" Saying so, he summoned his Fire Buster Sword and bolted the Kabuto Disk to it.

"Uh, aren't you kind of... overreacting?" Genta asked, a little stunned as Tyson's buster sword shape-shifted into it's Bazooka Mode.

Not listening, Tyson and the others slotted their disks into the giant gun, and Tyson swung the gun around and aimed right at Genta.

"I just think that you might regret this...!" Genta started panicking, waving his arms in a flurry.

"**Kabuto Five-Disk Elemental Blast!" **Tyson shouted, and pulled the trigger. The disks fired forth, combining into a giant sphere of shining light, that slammed straight into Genta as he started to run, sending him flying head over heels, de-morphing as he went.

Genta lay on he ground wheezing, clutching his chest, as Tyson stormed towards him. "Nice shot," he gasped between breaths.

"Shut up," Tyson shot at him. "Did you really think we wouldn't try to take you out after the last time you were here?"

"Well, no, but..." Genta replied, gingerly heaving himself up to a kneeling position, "I do think shooting me with the Kabuto Bazooka was going a bit far..."

Tyson stopped in front of him and bent down. "I think it's about time we saw who you really are," he said, grabbing the side of Genta's mask.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Genta countered, though not trying to stop him in any way. "What you see may disturb you."

"We'll see about that," Tyson said grimly, and pulled, ripping the mask off Genta's face, the hood of his cloak falling back.

Tyson took one look at Genta's face and was shocked rigid. "W-what...?" he stammered, staggering back, the mask dropping from his shaking hand. "I-it can't b-be..."

The other Rangers ran forward to she what had shocked Tyson so, and one by one they saw Genta's face, and learnt the terrible truth. For it was a face they knew, all too well.

Genta... _was Graydon!_

There was differences. His hair, that was usually brown, was now jet-black, with dark red streaks running through it, and red symbols were drawn around his eyes, but it was definitely him.

"No!" Karen gasped, as Genta got to his feet. "How? How could it be you?"

Genta grinned evilly, an expression that never would have appeared on Graydon's face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he laughed, a laugh that was low, and filled with dark intent.

"It can't be him!" May insisted, shaking her head, "It must be a copy, or an evil clone, or-"

"You want proof?" Genta interupted, raising and eyebrow in bemusement. "Fine. I am Graydon Umemori, your names are Tyson Shiba, Ryan Ikenami, Chad Tani, May Shiraishi and Karen Hanaori. We all live at the Shiba Manor with Tyson's vassal Hikoma Kusakabe. My room has one wall completely covered in computer monitors, and in those computers resides Alpha, an AI I programmed myself. I'm addicted to sushi, and determined to make sure no-one misses dawn training. Chad, you're obsessed with video games and have a PSP and DS hidden in your sock drawer. May, you're terrible at cooking, and worried that you will never get married. Karen, you want to be like your older sister, play a wooden flute, and practice kendo by yourself in secret. Ryan, you tend to get home-sick sometimes, but you have issues with your parents. Tyson, you and I have been best friends since we were three, you wet your pants when you went to the haunted house at WildFunLand, and you want to make sure that you make your father proud." Genta cocked his head to one side. "That enough proof for you?"

There was a stunned silence after this speech, as the Rangers absorbs this information. It really was him, no doubt about it.

"But... why?" Ryan asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Genta shrugged. "Mind dominance," he replied. "A far more powerful variety of mind control than the the one Hitomidama used. I am a shadow spirit, embedded into Graydon's mind, sealing away his consciousness and taking control of his body and mind."

"But... he's still in there somewhere, right?" Chad said, and Genta shrugged again.

"Oh, I'd imagine he's in there _somewhere, _fighting to get out," he said vaguely, then smirked. "But that isn't gonna happen, not on my watch."

During this exchange, Tyson's brain had been a whirl of thoughts, putting it all together. _It all makes sense now, _he thought. _Why he knew our names from the start. Why he could read our moves perfectly; he trained with us every day, of course he would know our moves. Why his arms wouldn't obey him, during our first fight; Graydon was resisting, fighting for control._

"So now you know the truth," Genta concluded, drawing his wicked sword. "The question is, _what do intend to do about it?_"

He leapt forward with a burst of speed, and the Rangers, still shocked by this revelation, were completely open to attack. He smashed Ryan and May aside, crashed through Chad and Karen, and went straight for Tyson, blade held high. The red Ranger barely had time to blow the horrible strike, then Genta's foot came round and cannoned into his side, sending him flying. Another two or three similar strikes followed, and Tyson crashed to the ground.

Genta's eyes glinted with greed as he reached down towards Tyson, who was struggling to rise, reached into his belt buckle... and withdrew the Kabuto Ronin Disk.

"No... don't take..." Tyson tried to protest, as a horrible blackness spread across the orange disk, but a kick to the face silenced him. Genta then went to work on the others. May and Chad never stood a chance, their attempted blocks not even slowing his vicious attacks. Ryan, already tired from his fight with Tyson and Hitomidama, barely even put up a fight. And as for Karen... she tried hard, but could not bring herself to strike him, because she knew Graydon was still in there, somewhere.

She was slammed to the ground and de-morphed, Genta standing over her, victorious. Smiling manically, he raised his blade once more. "And now, to finish you!" he cackled, and the blade came down.

Karen, battered and bruised, then played her final card. She raised her head, and, staring right into Genta's eyes, screamed _"Graydon, HELP!"_

"_Graydon, HELP!"_

_The words echoed around the chamber, shocking me straight to the soul. I knew that voice!_

_Who was it? It was... it was Karen! I remembered her name. Was she calling to me? Was... was that my name?_

_My eyes snapped open as strength surged through my body. It WAS! My name is Graydon! Graydon Umemori! I remember everything!_

_I yelled, struggling against my chains, as memory upon memory piled up, giving me strength, fighting against the control the fiend Genta had over me._

"_No! Stop that!" Genta cried, as I continued to battle for freedom._

Genta's blade stopped dead in mid-air, inches from Karen's unprotected face. She watched, amazed, as his body began to fight against itself. The left hand grabbed the right, forcing the blade away, while the right fought to continue downwards. Genta's face strained, his eyes half-closed, his mouth thrashing wildly, as two people tried to talk through it at once.

"_Stay back! I mean it!" Genta roared, as a chain broke, and my right arm came free. Reaching out, I grabbed his masked and pulled it off, revealing my own face underneath._

_Gathering all my strength, I bellowed as loud as I could, "Karen, RUN! NOW!"_

"_Karen, RUN! NOW!"_ the voice came from Genta's mouth, and Karen knew it was Graydon.

"But... we can't just leave you like this!" Chad shouted at him from where he lay.

"_I SAID RUN!" _Graydon's voice shouted. _"I can't hold him off for much longer! Run, escape to fight another day! Please!"_

Tyson looked into Genta's eyes, and he could see Graydon there, begging him to leave him. He nodded and turned his back to his oldest friend. "We're leaving," he said to the others, and pulled out his morpher, Hitting the button for Alpha, he sent through a teleportation request, and the five Rangers departed the scene.

Genta lay on the ground, the struggling over, as the shadow spirit exerted its dominance once more.

"_Damn, that was a close one," Genta muttered to himself, pacing up and down the chamber, occasionally glancing over at where I hung from the wall, now bound by three times the amount of chains as before, and a black steel cage surrounding the lot._

"_You won't win this, Genta!" I spat at him. "I almost broke free that time, it's only a matter of time until I gather enough strength to do it again."_

"_True, having you fully conscious in here is an inconvenience," Genta replied, swivelling to face me. "But you won't escape again. I've quadrupled the strength of the spell that binds you. I'd like to see you even try to escape from that!"_

_Laughing evilly, he marched over to the plinth in the centre of the room once more, which I now realised looked just like a control panel inside a Zord, with Genta's katana inserted in it._

_So that's how he's controlling me, I thought. Well, at least I know his weak point now..._

**Later that day, at Shiba Manor...**

"I'm absolutely horrified," Hikoma said, shaking his head sadly as Karen finished telling him what had happened. "To think Genta was Graydon all along!"

"What are we going to do?" May said. "He even stole the Kabuto Disk! He has two Ronin Zords under his command now!"

"I'm just glad he didn't get the Tora Disk as well," Chad said, shivering at the thought.

Ryan glanced towards Tyson, who sat apart from them, knees drawn to his chest, deep in thought. He hadn't said a word since they had got back. Ryan could only imagine what was going through his head. The revelation that his childhood friend was now one of their most dangerous enemies, coupled with the loss of the Kabuto spirit, must have hit him hard.

"We always thought they were holding him prisoner somewhere," Karen murmured, "but I never would of guessed that that prison was his own mind!"

"We need to free him!" Ryan said angrily. "You all saw how much damage I did when I was mind-controlled! Imagine what Graydon could do with a shadow spirit powering him, and two Zords at his command!"

"But how?" Chad asked hopelessly.

"We fight," Tyson spoke at last, and they all turned to him. "Graydon has broken through once already, and he can do it again. He just needs our help."

"What could we do?" May said, confused.

"The control Genta has over him is very similar to what Hitomidama used on Ryan," Tyson explained, "just a lot stronger. If we overload his system with enough elemental energy, and with Graydon fighting him from within, it may just be enough to break the seal."

"So that's what we'll do!" Karen agreed, her face set in a determined expression. "We'll train even harder than what we are now, learn to channel our elements better, anything! We'll break Graydon free, no matter the cost!"

"Yeah!" Chad cheered, Ryan and May joining in. As they joined Karen in running to the back garden, ready to get down to some serious training, Tyson stared out the window, wondering where Genta was now, and hoping Graydon was okay.

_Wait for us, Graydon, _he thought to himself, gazing into the sky. _We'll find you..._

**END CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Will the Rangers' plan work? Will Graydon break free of Genta's evil spell? And can they save him in time, before Genta strikes again? Find out, in the next exciting chapter of Power Rangers Samurai Strike!

A/N:

Man, this took a while! I think seven months is a bit too long of a wait for a chapter, but hopefully the wait was worth it! I really wanted to get this chapter out, as it contained a story I had been wanting to get to for a while, but I just didn't have time to do it until now.

I did lay some (probably no-so-subtle) hints about this chapter's massive plot-twist in some previous chapters, so I assume most of you guess who Genta really was, but hopefully not all of you :)

Also, I couldn't help mentioning that this isn't the first appearance of a white tiger Zord in the PR universe! I'm sure Tommy would be proud. And I _might _have stolen the ToraStrike's finishing move name from a certain giant robot anime... (well, c'mon, they were DRILLS, how could I _not _mention it?)

As always, all feedback and comments are appreciated, I love hearing from you guys! You can also ask any questions you have (as long as they don't concern future plots points, of course), and I'll answer them as best I can.

Also, as I said last time, I have a Facebook page now! Just search for Crazm Andorand on there, I shouldn't be too hard to find! Feel free to friend me if you want and give any feedback and questions on there too!

Don't worry, I'll make sure that the next chapter come out WAY sooner than this one did! Look forward to it!

Until next time, may the Power protect you!


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